


Cosmos Flowers

by jolimelon



Series: Cosmos [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Afterlife, Alternate Universe, Bittersweet Ending, Dark, Family, In order to set up for the sequel, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Half-Siblings, M/M, Modern Era, Murder Mystery, Natural Disasters, Past Character Death, Plot, Slow Burn, Spirits, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-06-30 09:09:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 44,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15748632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jolimelon/pseuds/jolimelon
Summary: An unexpected storm causes mass destruction to small town Cosmos, including the home of young college student Keith, his older half-brother Takashi and his brothers fiancée Adam. This soon becomes the least of their worries when they realize that the storm has awoken the spirit of a young student named Lance-- Keith's former high school classmate, that had met an unkind end the previous year- as well as a second, more harmful spirit set on seeing to it that nobody in Cosmos makes it out of the storm alive.[Previously titled Cosmos: Our Two Worlds As One]





	1. House & Home

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing for Voltron or these characters so I hope I do alright!

_A house is not always a home--_ It was one of the first lessons Takashi Shirogane had taught to his younger half-brother, Keith. At the time the words bore no meaning to the child, and were met with only a teasing response from Keith.

"They're the same thing, it's a cinnamon." Little Keith would respond in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Synonym." Takashi corrected, eleven wise years older than the boy. "It's something you'll come to understand as you get older."

"Okay so I'll worry about it when I'm old." Keith concluded, his attention lost once again.

Keith's relationship with Takashi had always been a positive one, and he often felt that the man was more of a fatherly figure than an older brother.

After the death of their mutual father, Takashi had just barely been old enough to claim guardianship of Keith, but as a result was forced to drop out of university in order to pursue a full-time job. Never a very wealthy family, what little their father had left behind had only been enough to cover funeral costs and nothing more. After that, the entire financial burden became Takashi's responsibility. Keith, at the time only nine years old and still processing the situation, was still too young to fully comprehend all of the sudden changes happening in his life. He began to act out, and was quickly deemed a problem child by his teachers. He was still a good child at heart, but it seemed as if no adult (Takashi aside) knew how to deal with his mood swings.

It was the most difficult in the beginning. It seemed as if every day Takashi was being called at work about an outburst Keith was having at school. He couldn't afford to leave during the middle of the day, but the more issues Keith was having at school, the more unfit it made Takashi look as a guardian. The situation was unfavourable, but he did what he could to make things work.

If there was one bright side to the situation, it was that Takashi knew how to calm Keith down quickly, but it was all thanks to his many years of experience as an older brother. They'd speak over the phone on his breaks at work, Keith often already in the principal's office anyway. Takashi had three strategies, and one was usually bound to work.

The first method was simple: an in-depth conversation about what had happened. Sometimes just talking things through helped Keith understand what was going on, and as a result, put his mind and mood at ease. The second method could be tricky, but worth a try. It was laughter. If Takashi could manage to find some way to turn the situation around and get a laugh out of Keith, then surely his bad mood would fade just as quickly. And if neither worked, then Takashi gave him a respectful distance, and allowed a few moments to pass in silence until Keith was ready to speak on his own terms. But if all three methods failed, then there was something seriously wrong, and that's when Takashi would have to personally show up to the office. However, those incidents were few, and grew farther between with the older Keith got.

By the time he was fifteen, Keith was able to hold his own and had gotten used to life without his father. He began working part-time as a cashier at the local gas station while simultaneously attending high school. Though he tried to offer money to help Takashi with household finances, the man would not accept it, so Keith instead began to pay for his own necessities, to lessen at least one burden.

No longer considered a trouble at school, Keith instead became reclusive during his teenage years. His quiet demeanour was often mistaken for conceit. Those who didn't know him found it easier to fill his silence with their own assumptions, leading to many negative depictions of his image. But he didn't care. He was stuck in his own mind only, focused on figuring out his own path.

When Keith was seventeen, Takashi's boyfriend Adam had begun to live at the house, and a long period of awkwardness first had to pass before Keith could get accustomed to it. Although he was fond of Adam, Keith was and always had been a very closed-off and personal person. In other words, a loner. Adam respected his space for the most part, but it wasn't possible for the two to completely avoid each other while living under the same roof. Adam was a very serious and kind person, but try as he may, he didn't have much luck in befriending Keith and was quick to give up on his attempts. Keith was content to leave things that way, but when Takashi took note of the awkward rift between the two, it clearly took it's toll on him. When Keith and Adam both took notice of this, they wordlessly called a truce and both made mutual attempts to clear the air between them for the sake of the man they both loved very dearly.

And then presently, at nineteen, Keith was beginning life as a local college student, and Takashi and Adam were engaged to be married.

For the first time, things almost felt easy. Keith was feeling comfortable and content with his life. Everything was beginning to look up.

Until the storm hit. 

It all started as a regular midsummer shower. The rain was steady, and though the winds were strong, it wasn't entirely unusual for a local storm.

Keith finished work in the early afternoon, and found himself caught in the beginning of the downpour. The walk was no longer than ten minutes on a good day, fifteen with poor weather taken into account, but never any more than twenty. By the time he had hit the five minute mark, lightning began to flash through the sky. Though he wasn't one to startle easily, he could feel the hair on his arms stand up. He mentally counted the seconds until a boom of thunder would follow, a habit from his early childhood. The thunder quickly followed suit and was nearly deafening. Keith instinctively wanted to cover his ears from the sound, but refrained from doing so when his house came into sight. He breathed a sigh of relief, unable to handle the gross feeling of wet hair and clothing clinging to his body for much longer.

The house he lived in was the house he had always lived in, a modest but comfortable home. It was one story, two bedrooms, with no attic or basement. After their father had passed away, Takashi had taken his room despite initial hesitation, but sharing a space with a fast growing pre-teen wasn't an enticing option either. He and Adam now shared the room, and Keith remained in his own. Though the house itself was small, both the front and back yards were rather grand in size, and gave a nice distance between neighbouring houses.

As Keith made his way up the pathway leading to the door, he had already begun rummaging through his bag in search of his keys when the door suddenly swung open. On the other side was his older brother, Takashi. 

"Keith! You're finished work early today? You should have called me, I would've given you a ride." Takashi said. He had a stern, commanding voice, that always sounded as if he were giving a lecture. Or perhaps Keith just thought so after being raised by him for more than half of his life.

"It's fine. It's not a far walk." Keith said in response. He walked passed Takashi, making his way inside. He didn't stop until he reached his bedroom, eager to change into clothes that were warm and dry.

After discarding his wet clothing into his dirty laundry hamper, Keith dabbed himself dry with a towel and threw on a simple jumper and sweatpants combo. There was a knock at his door. "It's open."

"Hey, buddy," Takashi greeted, opening the door. "I made you a tea. And don't forget to dry your hair too, or else you'll get sick." He commented, but before Keith could respond, Takashi had already grabbed the towel and began ruffling the boy's wet hair with it.

"I can do it myself, I'm not a little kid." Keith grumbled in protest.

"I know." Takashi said, a slight laugh of amusement to follow. As he pulled back the towel, Keith's fringe became pushed back with it, causing Takashi to smile. "You know, you look a lot like dad with your hair like this."

Though it wasn't the first time Keith has received such a comment from Takashi, he still took a long glance at himself in the mirror before responding. Did he really resemble him in any way? It had been so many years that Keith was unable to remember his fathers face outside of old photographs, and even then, he had always thought that Takashi had a stronger resemblance to him.

"You've said that before." Keith finally settled on responding with, taking the towel into his own hands.

"I guess it just still surprises me sometimes." Takashi responded, taking a step outside the door and as he walked away he added, "Your tea is on the table. Don't let it get cold."

"I know. I won't."

Once he was satisfied with his hair--still damp, but not so much that it would bother him-- Keith stepped out of his room and joined Takashi on the couch with his cup of tea resting cozy in his hands. The television was turned on to the weather network, where they were discussing the sudden unexpected storm conditions. Their very own small town, Cosmos, had the misfortune of being in the heart of it. Some houses were experiencing power outages, and the far edges of town were just beginning to get a light rain. The worst of it all was expected to last a day, with the rain continuing on for the next few days. The time and date flashed at the bottom of the screen, revealing it was then four-thirty in the afternoon.

"Adam should be on his way home by now." Takashi said, briefly checking the screen of his phone. 

Every day, at the same time without fail, Adam would call Takashi to let him know that he was finished with work and on his way home. He worked in the outskirts of the city, and thus had to take a forty minute train to and from work. To pass the time, he and Takashi would chat on the phone about various things. However, on this particular day, thirty minutes had passed without so much as a text.

"There must be some delays because of the weather," Keith said.

"I think so, too." Takashi agreed, before adding, "I'll give it ten more minutes before I try calling him."

Ten long minutes passed without so much as a text. When Takashi made the call to Adam, it went straight to voice-mail.

"Five more minutes?" Keith suggested, to which Takashi nodded.

Outside, the weather was only getting worse. The light pattering of rain on the windows quickly turned into sharp pelts, and the trees in the yard were so far bent in the wind that they almost looked as if they were about to snap.

All attempts to contact Adam were without any progress. Fifteen minutes quickly became thirty, and then an hour, and then two hours. Before they knew it, three hours had passed, and between both Takashi's and Keith's phones, over fifty attempts to call Adam had been made.

"Something has to be up." Takashi concluded, grabbing his keys from the coffee-table as he headed towards the door. "I'm going to drive over to the station and see what's going on. You'll be fine here on your own, right?"

"No way." Keith was quick to object, as he followed him. "I'm going with you. What if something happens to **you** while you're out?"

Takashi was firm in his resolve. "Then we'll both be putting ourselves in danger. You're staying home and that's final." 

As the door swung open, it was quickly apparent that the world beyond the front porch was hardly visible anymore. The rain fell with such unrelenting power that everything in it's path appeared to be no more than greyish blob of land. Keith had followed Takashi outside, his eyebrows quickly raised at the sight. "There's no way you can go out in this. You won't be able to see anything."

"What if Adam is stuck somewhere with no way to get home? No way to contact me? I'm worried about him, Keith. It's been three hours. I have to make sure that he's alright."

"Can't you just wait it out a bit longer? So that you can at least see where you're going?"

Takashi shook his head. "This isn't calming down any time soon."

"Then just..." In his frustration, Keith desperately tried to think up a fast solution. "Just try calling him one more time."

"I've tried a million times already! It's just voicemail after voicemail."

"Just do----" 

"What're you guys doing outside?" A sudden third voice interjected. As they turned to face the source of the sound, the appearance of a rain-drenched Adam came into sight. His glasses fogged over so heavily that he could hardly see, and beneath him, a puddle of rain water began to form from the dripping of his clothes and boots.

"Adam, oh my God." Takashi exclaimed, his worry quickly melted into relief-and then worry again- and then frustration. "Are you okay? Where have you been?!"

Adam then attempted to wipe off the lenses of his glasses with the hem of his shirt, but the attempt was only in vain as his clothing was too wet to make a difference. With a meek smile, he began to explain, "Sorry, Kashi. I couldn't get any cell service, and traffic was awful. I suppose everybody was leaving work all at once because of the weather."

Takashi breathed a short sigh. "You had us worried half to death." he replied, but he couldn't stay mad. He was quick to forgive and take the man into his arms, despite the risk of getting his own clothes wet. The embrace was returned without hesitation as Adam mumbled another apology, and gave the man a brief kiss.

"Lets go inside, it's awful out here."

****

The storm persisted all throughout the evening. Streets and yards were covered in roof shingles, the power had officially gone out, and all businesses were closed indefinitely. Sleeping throughout the night proved to be difficult, and between the three in the house, there was perhaps a total combination of two hours sleep. By six in the morning, everybody was awake and alert, huddled around the living room coffee table as they listened to storm updates on the radio.

The entire town was now without power, and all civilians were advised to stay indoors until further notice. The severity of the situation was becoming apparently clear, but Keith felt safe in the presence of Takashi and Adam. There were mutual feelings of protectiveness between the three of them, which, at the very least, created a sense of security. Even if the storm persisted with much gusto, they had each other, and they had their little home.

After the radio had advised them that the storm could potentially last for days, the three began to cautiously analyze their own situation. Their supplies were not entirely favourable, their lack of preparation for such a scenario was clear as day. With their phones all dead and no way to charge them, and no emergency kits with flashlights, their only source of light were candles that they would need to carefully ration and only use when absolutely necessary. 

The three began a household search for any useful items to make life easier until the storm passed.

"I found two more candles," Adam announced during his search. "Rose and lavender-scented, in case anybody is looking to set a romantic mood." Although it was stated in a joking-manner, his expression remained as serious as ever.

"I found more batteries." Takashi said, setting them on the table beside the radio. "Hopefully we won't need them, but it's a relief knowing that they're there."

"I gathered all of our bottled water together." Keith said. "It should last us." 

Looking across at their few supplies all gathered together, it was a sorry sight. They were ill-prepared, and in the worst case scenario, things would not end well for them. They then began to take inventory of their food supplies, checking through the cupboards and cabinets to see what they could come up with, and how long it could potentially last them.

Keith began by searching a rarely used cabinet containing canned food. The contents mostly consisted of various kinds of beans, ranging from kidney to black. There were two cans of corn, one can of chick peas, and another can turned backwards so that the front of the label was not visible. As Keith reached forward to twist the can around and identify it, it slowly began to vibrate on the spot. He squinted his eyes, lowering his hand. As if on cue, the other cans in the cabinet began to shake in rapid unison. Keith took a step back.

"Uh, guys?" Keith called out. "Is there an earthquake going on?"

"What? No. What're you talking about?" Takashi asked as he entered the room. The second he laid his eyes on the shaking cabinet shelf, he pulled Keith back in one swift movement just as the cans fell to the ground with a loud series of thuds. They both stared at the ground for a second before Takashi concluded, "It must've been an unstable shelf. Everything else seems fine."

"Yeah, I guess so." Keith responded, glancing around at the rest of the kitchen. Just as Takashi had said, everything else in the room appeared to be stable. It was just some more bad luck, then. Wouldn't that figure?

The rest of the morning had passed them by without any major incidents. After they had collected all of their supplies, the only thing left for them to do was find a way to pass the time. Given the circumstances, there wasn't much to do, and even as they sat together and attempted to chat the time away, they realized even that wasn't effective for long. They spent most of their time together, so as a result, they had very little to say that hadn't already been said before. 

"It feels like it'll never stop raining." Keith commented, staring absent-mindedly at the burning candle on the coffee table.

"It will," Adam replied. A roaring boom of thunder nearly shook the house. "Eventually."

Keith brought his knees to his chest and held them comfortably. "We're going to run out of stuff pretty quickly, and it's hard to do anything without any power in the house."

"We'll figure something out, buddy." Takashi said, placing a hand on Keith's shoulder. There it was, the sense of safety and security. Keith simply nodded his head in return to his brothers comforting words.

With that, a sudden, cool breeze quickly drifted throughout the room, causing the flame of the candle to flicker out, once again leaving the room in darkness.

Adam grabbed the lighter, attempting to relight the candle. It blew out again almost instantly. He tried several more times, each time ending unsuccessfully.

"Here, let me try." Takashi said, taking the lighter from Adam. Even as he attempted for three more tries, he had no success in lighting the candle either. "That's strange. Pass me another one."

As Adam handed Takashi one of the larger scented candles, the result only ended the same each time. As soon as the wick drew the flame, it was blown out just as quickly.

Keith remained seated, still staring at the small trail of smoke raising from the candle. Something about the atmosphere felt ominous, similarly to how it had felt when the shelf of cans had collapsed earlier in the day. But he couldn't explain it, and he knew it would just sound silly if he tried to.

"There must be a small draft. We should probably save these, anyway." Adam said, getting a little tired of the process.

Both Takashi and Keith agreed, and so they continued on in darkness, talking about all sorts of different things. Work, school, bits of the past- anything and everything that would make the time go by faster. Adam and Takashi reflected on their first meeting a bit, and though Keith was familiar with the story, he let them go on, and didn't speak much in return. His mind felt too preoccupied to participate, something in the atmosphere wasn't sitting well with him.

Day gave way to night, and another restless night became morning once more. The process all felt terribly long.

Throughout the night, Keith's room had gotten progressively colder, to the point where his breath became visible. Even huddled under the blankets, he couldn't quite shake the chill. The worst of it all came in the early hours of the morning--he estimated it was around six or so, but he couldn't be sure--, when a sharp chill ran down his back, leaving him in an unusual state of paralysis.

And then, he wasn't positive only for the sheer fact that it didn't even seem _possible_ , he could almost swear that he felt a large, cold hand wrapping itself around his neck. He held his breath, still unable to move even a finger. The atmosphere was reminiscent of the incidents regarding the cans and candles, but to a more extreme point. Before it felt unsettling, yet harmless, and now, as the feeling of the fingers around his neck grew tighter, Keith felt that whatever was near him had ill-intentions.

He wanted to raise his hands up to pull away, shout out, and fight back-- but he couldn't. All he could do with grit his teeth together, and tightly shut his eyes as the clouds of breath leaving his mouth grew shorter and shorter.

"Hey---Hey, stop that!" A voice called out, clear yet somehow dream-like. "Get away from him!"

The pressure on Keith's throat suddenly lifted, and he was able to move once more. He quickly sat into an upright position as he gasped for air, clutching onto his neck.

Standing before him was a boy with short-cropped brown hair, he was tall, lanky, and though his skin was a dark colour, his entire body appeared almost transparent. Keith blinked several times, as his eyes fell upon the boys face.

"... Lance?" Keith quietly mumbled. "Lance McClain?"

It couldn't be. It wasn't possible. Though he and Keith had been classmates in high school and were more than familiar with each other, Lance McClain had **died** more than a year ago. Keith was sure of it. He'd seen the news reports, he was present for the memorial at school, he was there when Lance's friends broke down in tears at graduation after his name had been called out in tribute.

"Yo." Lance responded, raising his hand in a wave. "Still remember me, huh? What, did ya miss me?" he teased.

"What're---How-- What's going on?" Keith grumbled, his hands lowering. 

A boom of thunder loudly roared throughout the sky, and as it did, Lance's eyes widened in horror. "Watch out!" he called out, suddenly hurling his body on top of Keith's. Before there was any time to question what was happening, the roar of thunder was quickly replaced with a destructive crumbling.

The roof above Keith's room, and his room only, was suddenly torn right off, disappearing out of sight as bits of debris collapsed into the room. The piercing rain then began to pour in, causing destruction to everything in sight.

Keith let out a cough, and opened his eyes only to see that Lance was no longer in sight. He quickly hurried out of his bed, shielding himself from the rain. His door swung open, and standing on the other side were Takashi and Adam who had both jumped out of bed the second they heard the tearing of the roof.

"Are you okay?!" Takashi yelled out, rushing in and throwing an arm around Keith. "We need to get you out of here!"

Keith simply nodded, following the two mens lead. He briefly scanning the room with his eyes before exiting, but there was no sign of Lance to be found.

As they stepped out of the room, door shut behind them, the sounds of the storm became muffled and quiet once more. Keith took a deep breath, Takashi and Adam looking at him with wide eyes as they waited for him to speak.

"I think..." Keith began to explain, his tone quiet but serious. "I think we might be haunted?"

"Heh. What makes you think that?" It was Lance's voice that had interrupted, having suddenly appeared next to Keith.

As the two older men turned their gazes to the boy, their mouths fell open in unison.

Lance just smiled and nodded, "Nice to meet you all. So... it's kind of a long story!"

Just outside, the rain continued to pour, and pour, and pour. Only now, the storm was far from being the strangest thing occurring in the town of Cosmos.


	2. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The worst of the storm has passed, but many questions still remain. Why did Lance suddenly appear, and what was trying to harm Keith? Meanwhile, the household receives an unexpected guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like chapter two! Apologies in advance for any mistakes- My hands have been pretty full lately so I might have been a little distracted while writing.

If there was one beacon of hope, it was that the storm was beginning to ease, and the radio reports had become the most optimistic they'd been yet. It was now possible to look outside of the windows and see the world beyond the front porch. Unfortunately, it was not a very pretty sight.

Scattered across the lawn was wreckage. The tree from the lawn had snapped in half and completely obliterated the neighbouring fence during it's fall. The streets were covered in shingles, lawn ornaments, and fallen trees. Even the mail box across the street had not been spared, as it remained on it's side looking battered. The houses were in no great shape. Some missing parts of their roof, others with shattered windows, and not a single one looking at all like it had just days ago.

Nobody in town had been prepared for a storm of it's caliber. It would take weeks--months even, to fix all of the damage that a short-lived storm had caused. As radio updates came pouring in, the extent of the damage only became worse. The local school and several stores had been flooded out, costing countless amounts of damage. There was too much debris blocking the roads off, and it still wasn't advised for anyone to go outdoors unless absolutely necessary. Few houses had power return to them but running water still wasn't advised until it was checked for possible contamination.

Rain continued to pour in through the missing portion of roof above Keith's room. Few items had been safely moved out, but for the most part, everything was damaged beyond repair. Keith wasn't one for material possessions to begin with, but it still left a hollow feeling in his stomach to know that everything he owned was ruined. In the meantime, Takashi and Adam had made space for Keith in their own room. Despite it not being nearly big enough for three, they still wanted to give him a safe space and keep him close by. The previous night had been too close of a call. 

The ultimate elephant in the room was the appearance of the ghostly Lance. His explanation had only left more questions than it had answered, and nothing about the situation felt real. 

"So as we all know, I died last year," Lance had begun the story with, his tone far too casual for the topic at hand. At this point, everyone was sitting around the livingroom's coffee-table, intently listening. "And then that was it, y'know? Everything was just... totally blank for awhile. I don't remember anything until a couple of days ago. And next thing I know, I'm here. No idea why but I thought 'Eh, I'll have fun with it.' Those cans, and the whole candle thing? Those were my hilarious pranks. Heh. You should've seen your faces! Man, that was funny. Yeah, anyway, the whole hand and roof thing though? Not my work. I have no idea who or what that was." 

"The hand thing could've been Keith's imagination. He--" Adam stopped himself, before quickly moving along. "Well, it's possible he could've imagined it. The roof was almost positively due to the weather." 

Lance crossed his arms and shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno about that. I know I saw _something_ there. Like, it kinda looked like a big blob but it was definitely something."

"And I know what I felt." Keith stated, his tone serious. "It was definitely the real thing this time." 

Lance nodded. "Yeah, yeah. See? So, something wanted to hurt him, for real." 

Takashi's expression was serious as he listened, he shot a concerned look at Keith, and then his demeanour softened as he smiled to Lance. "Regardless of what happened, thank you for helping him out." 

Lance grinned and shot a thumbs up. 

"So... You two knew each other?" Adam asked, glancing between the two. "You were friends?" 

Lance nodded his head, and then paused a bit. "Uh, well..." 

"We knew each other when we were kids. And we had a few classes together in high school." Keith responded. "But we weren't friends." 

"Yuuup." Lance said. "Not friends. Just a couple of classmates." 

Adam adjusted the rim of his glasses, pushing them up the bridge of his nose. "I see. It makes one wonder why you would appear here of all places if you and Keith weren't even friends. Did you have unfinished drama with each other, or anything of the sort?" 

"No." Both Keith and Lance answered at once, briefly glancing at each other, and then looking away just as quickly.

Takashi gave an amused grin. "So you do." 

"Even if we did... And we **don't**... but like **if** we did, it wouldn't be something that would've kept my soul tied to the earth with regret or whatever." Lance stated in quick defense. 

"Yeah, it has to be something else. Lance and I didn't even interact that much." 

"Regardless of what it was, we've gotta bigger issues at hand. Keeping Keith safe, and dealing with our house quickly falling apart." Takashi said, very seriously turning his line of vision to Keith. "Until this storm passes, I do not want you out of my sight." 

With a huff, Keith crossed his arms over the top of the table. "You're treating me like a kid again." 

Takashi became very serious. "I'm not trying to control you but if something wants to harm you, you're not safe on your own no matter what your age is." 

To this, Keith remained silent, though he clearly did not look content. 

"He's not wrong, and that's why we're all here!" Lance chimed in. 

"I didn't ask for your help especially." Keith grumbled, his voice suddenly raised as he thrust his hands upon the table top. "And... why are you even here in the first place?!" 

"Excuse me?!" Lance instantly became offended, and returned the same strong energy, not missing a beat. "I never asked to be here either. Don't you think I'd much rather be with my family than you?!"

"Then go to them! We don't want you here anymore than you don't want to be here!"

"I can't! Why would I even stick around here if I could just up and leave at will?!" 

"That's enough, you two." Takashi cut in, his voice assertive.

Both boys remained silent, continuing to glare daggers at each other, until finally Keith stood and stormed out of the room.

An awkward air had been left behind following Keith's exit. Nobody said a word, and nobody followed him, because even without saying it aloud, everyone knew that it would only make matters worse.

****

"Knock, knock." A voice came from the other side of the bedroom door. An hour having already passed since Keith's dramatic exit.

"You don't have to knock to enter your own room." Keith responded curtly. 

Opening the door was Takashi, which came as no surprise. He came baring a small plate of food which he then set beside Keith. "You alright, buddy?" 

Keith nodded, his stare vacant and distant. "Yeah. I'm fine." 

"Look, I didn't mean to be such a hardass on you and get you upset at everyone back there. I just worry about you a lot. You're my baby brother, and I know you're growing up, but in my eyes, you'll always be a kid that I'd do anything to keep safe." Takashi explained.

"I know. I get it. I'm sorry for being on edge. I just..." Keith's responses remained short, as he blinked a few times, trying to find the right words. "I feel like... like I can still feel his hand on my throat. I know it's not there but last night... It really was. I wasn't imagining things this time." 

Takashi's expression remained serious. "I believe you." he stated firmly. "I know you're being serious. I don't doubt it one bit. That's why I'm so worried." 

"Hmm."

"If it's real then... I don't know what it means. Anything is possible, clearly. But as long as you're under this roof...-Or, what remains of this roof, I should say- I'm going to make sure that everything will be okay."

"I don't want anyone to think I'm weak." Keith admitted. "I'm tired of always looking weak."

"You're not weak, Keith. We know that you're strong as hell. The strongest kid in town, even. But getting help isn't such a bad thing, either."

Keith sighed audibly, still not fully convinced but uninterested in turning the conversation into an argument.

Takashi didn't want to pry into the subject for much longer, knowing it would only serve to bother Keith more. "Eat up, okay? You need your energy." 

"Yeah, I will. Thanks." 

Leaning forward, Takashi pulled his brother into a light hug. "I love you, kiddo." 

Finally smiling, Keith returned the gesture, pressing his cheek against Takashi's shoulder. "I love you too, old man." 

***

As the day progressed, the weather improved at an alarmingly rapid rate. The sun peered through the departing grey clouds, and the fog had lifted, leaving a full impression of the clear damage left behind. It looked much worse than ever imagined. The water in the streets had risen high enough that the debris now floated on the surface, and most houses were flooded up to their front porch. Had the storm continued any longer, the water would have flooded out most homes as well. 

Naturally, Keith's bedroom had taken the most damage. The rain water soaked through the carpet, leaking out into the hallway. Nobody bother to discuss the amount of money it would cost to get everything fixed, as nobody wanted to think about it. 

It was then that -for the second time in his life- Keith recalled Takashi's words about a house and a home not being the same thing. It was suddenly relevant to his life again in the most unsettling way. The first time he had felt that way had been after the death of their father. Their home felt ominously vacant, and no longer had the same warm feeling he had taken for granted for so long. He grew used to the changes, and after some time, the house became a home once again. And then, in one swift movement, it was happening all over again.

Lance had kept quietly to himself almost all day, disappearing in and out of view as he pleased. It was taking time for the household to adjust to having a spirit around, and even Lance needed time to reflect upon what was happening and why. So far, he had failed to come up with any satisfying answers.

It was around mid-afternoon when a knock at the door caused the entire household to shuffle about in confusion.

"Who could possibly be visiting at a time like this?" Adam asked, the thought alone absurd.

"No idea," Takashi answered, "But we might as well find out."

Upon opening the door, the visitor revealed himself to be a familiar face to the household. A heavy-set boy with dark hair and a signature ribbon wrapped around his forehead- His name was Hunk. He was around Keith's age and lived only a few houses down. At present, his clothing was damp from his journey over, but a smile still remained on his face.

"Hey, Shiro!" Hunk had greeted as if it were a usual day.

"Hi." Takashi greeted in return, not sure whether to laugh or be concerned. "What brings you over?"

"Oh, y'know, just wanted to say 'hi' and like, make sure nobody vanished out of the huge hole in your roof and all." The boy responded, pointing upward.

"Ah. So it's noticeable?"

"Oh yeah, all the way from our place." Hunk nodded. "It's above Keith's room, right? Is he okay?"

"He's doing fine, just a little tired." Takashi explained. "Did you want to come in to see him?"

"Uhhh..." Hunk hesitated in responding. "I don't know if he'd want me to but you can tell him I said---" he stopped in the middle of his sentence, his expression and posture remaining completely frozen in time. ".... Lance?"

Low and behold, standing just behind Takashi was the spirit himself, a large grin on his face as his eyes welled up with happy tears. "Hunk! I thought I heard you! Hunk, it's me, man! It's been so long!" Lance cried out.

"L-Lance?! Oh my God. Wh-What? How?" Hunk stuttered in complete shock. 

As the two young boys caught their first glimpses of each other in over a year, Takashi and Adam stood aside to give them a moment together.

Hunk finally entered the house, messily kicking his shoes off behind him, his gaze unwavering from the other boy. At this point, tears were running down his face with no sign of stopping soon. "I can't believe it... It's really you!" he exclaimed, reaching forward to hug him, with no luck. Lance's body was completely untouchable, merely thin as air.

"Sorry, I'm kinda a ghost now, I guess." Lance explained, wiping a tear away as he laughed. "But, man, I missed you a bunch. Look at you, still wearing the same old clothes! You don't look any different at all!"

"Pssht! Same goes to you!" Hunk laughed along.

"Hey, at least I've got an excuse!" Lance retorted.

"So like.... I've gotta ask," Hunk suddenly got serious. "I don't even know where to begin... How am I seeing you right now? How is this possible?"

Lance gave a comedic shrug. " **I** don't even know where to begin, either!" 

At this point, the hustle and bustle happening inside the living room had been enough to attract Keith's attention and lure him out of seclusion. Just a quick glimpse was enough to fill him in on what was going on. Though he felt a sense of dread toward the upcoming interaction, he knew it wasn't something that he could easily avoid.

"Keith, hey! When were you going to tell me that you were hiding our dead friend in your house?" Hunk exclaimed in greeting.

"Hey." Walking passed the two, Keith took a seat on the edge of the couch and crossed one leg over the other. "It pretty much just happened. Nobody here knows anything about it, either. He just showed up."

Lance stared at Keith for some time before turning back to Hunk. "He's right. I'm just as clueless about all this as you guys are."

"It's just... totally blowing my mind right now." Hunk stated, taking Keith's lead and plopping down on the couch. He left a respectful distance. "In a good way, of course! But if I had known you were coming back as a ghost, I wouldn't have cried so much at graduation when they started talking about you! My photos turned out awful, let me tell you, my eyes were like this." With his hands, Hunk began gesturing large circles around his eyes.

Lance let out a loud laugh. "Aw, you cried that hard for me? I'm touched!"

"Was I not supposed to? I couldn't help it!" Hunk laughed along, and then, upon glancing at Keith, his expression became more serious yet remained soft. "I'm glad you're okay, too. I was worried when I saw that huge hole in the roof. I waited all day until it was clear enough to come over and see if you were alright."

Keith was taken aback by Hunk's words, not realizing he'd been cause for worry even outside of the house. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, a pause was taken as he looked up towards Lance and added, "Thanks to Lance. He shielded me from most of the debris that came collapsing in." 

Lance blinked a few times in response, unsure of whether he had heard correctly or not. As Hunk attempted to jab him in the side teasingly, he knew he hadn't imagined what Keith just said.

"Pssht. This guy, coming back to life and playing the hero, huh? Looking for praise beyond the grave, are ya?" Hunk teased some more.

Snapping back to reality, Lance let out a snort as he stifled a laugh. "Me, a showoff? Puh-lease. I just thought, y'know, it'd be kinda rude to let him get hurt when I was already right there."

"Yeah, hey, actually why are you even here anyway? I mean, I know we pretty much just talked about this but it's still super odd seeing you two in the same room. You guys haven't talked since, like," Hunk paused, mentally thinking back. "...since the party, right?"

Both Keith and Lance froze up at the mention, neither daring to so much as look at the other. Hunk was a clever boy, but even if he hadn't been, the change in both of their expressions was clear as day. He knew he had hit the point head-on.

"What _did_ happen at that party? I mean..." Hunk spoke, soft and sincerely, "I really thought we were all making progress, y'know? I even thought, heck maybe we'd end up being a friend group again and then just... The two of you got so cold all of a sudden and wouldn't even look at each other anymore."

Another round of silence followed, and neither Keith nor Lance were eager to break it. Again, Hunk took note and smiled sadly in response.

"Y'know what? It's between the two of you, I'm not gonna pry into your business. I just hope the two of you can talk things out- or, whatever needs to be done." Hunk said, dropping the subject with a shrug. "I never thought I'd even see you again, Lance, you don't know how happy I am about this. Expect me over here a lot more, huh? I've gotta let Pidge know, too. Man, she's gonna lose it!"

A smile now on his face, Lance nodded, "I'm real excited to see her again, too! Bring her next time!"

"I will. She'll be happy to see both of you!" Hunk said, now standing from the couch. "I better get going or else my mom will think I got swept away in the flood. It's been good seeing you two- and it won't be the last time! Lets not be strangers anymore!"

"Later, Hunk." Keith said, not moving from his spot.

Lance, on the other hand, followed the other boy right up to the door. "Come back soon, Hunk. It's been fun seeing you again." he said, attempting to hug the boy but again the gesture was unsuccessful. He awkwardly laughed and waved him off, watching as the boy made his way down the driveway and across the street, water risen past his ankles. He watched until, eventually, the boy was no longer in his sight.

***

The rest of the day had passed the household by without incident. Takashi and Adam had agreed that the next day, the weather would likely be clear enough to allow people to leave their houses, and they would then go out and assess the complete damage that their small home had taken. Aside from the roof above Keith's bedroom, there was no damage that was note-worthy from the indoors so Takashi insisted that it was likely that they had gotten off pretty easily compared to some of their less-fortunate neighbours. 

In the meantime, Keith had agreed to stay in the little make-shift bed in Takashi and Adam's room to make them feel more at ease about his safety at night. But he himself had a difficult time resting easy. Though he was tired in every sense- physically, mentally, emotionally- he still couldn't sleep for even a moment. His head felt heavy with pain, and he kept the blankets tightly clenched up to his chin. Even so, sleep did not come to relieve him of his trouble.

As soon as it was apparent that Takashi and Adam were sleeping according to their breathing patterns, Keith quietly rolled out of his bed and crept out the door. He walked to the kitchen where he took a painkiller with a swig of water from their dwindling water bottle supply. He slumped into one of the kitchen chairs, careful so that it's legs didn't skid across the floor, and then, he began to speak.

"Lance? Are you around?" His voice was no more than a low mumble. "If you can hear me, then come here."

In one swift second, Lance was suddenly sitting in the chair across from him, his hands folded together. "What's up?"

Grumbling as he held his aching head, Keith said, "Hunk was right. We need to talk about what happened at the party."

Lance raised his eyebrows, nodding his head in a nearly robotic-like manner. "You said you didn't want to talk about it, or think about it ever again. That you never should have gone in the first place."

"I know what I said, but clearly we need to talk. If that's why you're stuck here then... I don't want you bound to my house over something that stupid."

"Because I'm such a huge pain and inconvenience to you, right?" Lance retorted.

"No, that's not what I mean." Keith said, rolling his eyes. "You should be with your family if anyone."

Lance didn't respond. He instead just stared down at his hands quietly.

"So," Keith began with a sigh. "Can we just... talk about this?"

Lance nodded his head, this time in a fluid motion. "Yeah, Let's talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this far, I hope you're having a good time! 
> 
> Next time: What happened at that party? Lets find out!


	3. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In high school, due to unforseen circumstances, Keith ends up attending a party. He expects to only stay for a moment until something completely unexpected happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a fore-warning, there is some teen partying, and alcohol-consuming within this chapter. Those are the only warnings that apply, though! Nothing extreme takes place.

As a child, Keith was often referred to as 'shy' due to his quiet nature. Despite this, he wasn't completely unapproachable. By the first grade, he already had three other friends that he remained close with up until his father's death. 

The group of four all had very different personalities but were similar enough that their bonds remained tight for years. 

Hunk was a clever boy, and extremely kind-hearted. He was often the one to go to while feeling down, and he always had some simple yet effective advice. 

Pidge was the only girl of the group, but never felt that it made her any lesser. She was a whiz, with a bit of a sarcastic tone. Though she teased her friends, she was far from being a bully to them. 

Lance was a goof-ball, but his heart was in the right place. He used humour in all types of situations, as it was just in his nature to do so. 

And then there was Keith, the newest of the group. 

The three were quick to welcome Keith, who had been recruited into the group by Hunk. He blended in with them pretty quickly, and before he knew it, being with them was comfortable and familiar to him. 

Soon, they did everything together, their friendship extending beyond the schoolyard. Before they knew it, even their family members had become friends as a result. Keith's, Pidge's, and Lance's older siblings were all around the same age as well and had formed a friend group of their own. All of their parents were well-acquainted, often chatting amongst each other while picking up the kids from school. 

Of course, things didn't stay that way. In fourth grade, the sudden death of Keith's father caused him to separate himself from the group. By middle school, the remaining three were casual friends at best. High school had proved to be difficult but the later years had brought them back together, with the exception of Keith. 

Despite often seeing Keith in class or in the hallways, there was no attempt to pull him back into the group. It wasn't due to a lack of caring, it simply felt like an impossible task, and too much time had passed to mend the errors created in childhood. 

Eventually, Hunk and Keith had a twelve grade gym class in common, but only after two months did Hunk feel confident enough to approach the boy. He'd asked him to be his warm up partner, and to his surprise, Keith had agreed. 

There wasn't much conversation at first, the two stretching in an awkward silence, until finally Hunk asked, "So, uh, how have you been?" 

"Good." Keith replied, his tone just blank enough that it was too difficult to read. "How have you been?" 

"Good, good." Hunk's voice high and thoughtful. "How is your brother doing?" 

"Good." Keith replied. "His boyfriend just started living with us. He's pretty happy about it." 

"Oh, that tall guy with glasses, right? How's living with him going?" 

Keith shrugged. "Awkward, I guess. But he's a nice guy." 

"Yeah, must be. But I'm glad to hear that you guys are doing well." 

Keith didn't reply. 

"Let's try the medicine ball toss." Hunk suggested. 

The medicine ball toss was a simple exercise. Two people would sit facing each other, whoever was holding the ball would turn to each side and then toss the ball to their partner. It wasn't difficult, which made it a favourite among the participants who weren't particularly fond of gym. 

Hunk tossed the ball first, and Keith had caught it despite being taken aback by its unexpected weight. He twisted to both sides, and tossed it back without much thought, resulting in the throw being higher than expected. Hunk couldn't respond fast enough, and the ball made hard contact with his nose in the blink of an eye. 

Keith gasped audibly, and quickly inched closer to the boy. "Hunk, I'm sorry, are you okay?" 

Blood began to run from Hunk's nose, seeping through his fingers as he clenched it tightly. By then, the attention of everybody else in the gymnasium had been gathered. He was a good sport about it and flashed a thumbs up. 

"It's okay, man. You didn't mean it." He assured Keith, a slight wince to follow. "Come with me to the nurse, though?" 

Keith didn't need convincing in order to agree. He felt guilty the second the ball had made contact with Hunk's face.

The visit with the nurse went smoothly and Hunk was in high spirits despite the clear pain he was in. His nose wasn't broken or permanently damaged but it would more than likely bruise within the days to follow. 

"I really am sorry." Keith apologized again, scooping ice into a plastic bag. He handed it to Hunk after he had zipped it closed. 

Hunk grimaced as the ice touched his sore face but he still managed to let out a short laugh. "Come on, don't apologize again. I said it's okay." 

"I know, but-" 

"Hey, no buts about it. But if you really want me to forgive you then I have an idea."

Keith raised an eyebrow at the unusual statement. "And what would that be?"

"Come to my party tonight." Hunk responded instantly. "I wanted to invite you, anyway, and this is as good a time as ever." 

"A party..?" Keith hesitated to ask. Parties were far from being _his thing._

"I know, I know. High school parties are either cringey or overwhelming but this one won't be too big or too small. It's a nice meeting in the middle kinda get together. Pidge and Lance will be there too, and I know they'd love to see you." 

Keith stayed quiet for a few seconds as he contemplated the situation. If he could manage to go to the party for twenty minutes at the most, then would that be enough time to suffice? Or would it be rude? He didn't really understand party etiquette but he supposed that his presence or absence wouldn't be a big deal either way, and that he could easily slip away when he wanted to.

"Okay." Keith agreed. 

Having not expected such an instant response with no fighting against it, Hunk was visibly taken aback, though this expression quickly shifted into that of excitement. "For real? That's awesome, man! It'll be just like old times!" 

Keith didn't respond to this. He allowed Hunk to continue speaking, spewing out plenty of nonsense about how things would go back to how they were and about how fun it would be for all those involved. Keith couldn't see things the same way, but he wasn't about to burst his bubble either. He'd just have to pretend for one night, perhaps a couple hours at the most, that he was having a good time. 

* * *

By the time evening had rolled around, Keith had already assumed that his promise to go to the party was forgotten about, and as a result, he contemplated not going at all. Hunk was social and had many friends, so surely Keith's absence would completely slip his mind. The same went for the others, too. They had other, closer friends to worry about. They'd just forget that Keith was supposed to be there, and Keith was content with being forgotten. 

As a result of this way of thinking, Keith wasn't especially paying attention to the time when there was a knock at the door. Takashi answered it, and only a moment later, appeared in Keith's doorway. 

"Honey, you've got a friend at the door." Takashi said, almost as if he were in disbelief.

Keith furrowed his eyebrows. "Who is it?"  

"Your old pal, Lance. He says he's here to pick you up. You didn't tell me that you were friends again." 

"We're not, really." Keith answered, with a sigh. "Can't you tell him I'm not home?" 

" **NOPE!** " A voice responded from the living room. "I can hear you guys clear as day, y'know." 

Takashi gave an amused smile and shrugged his shoulder. "You might have a good time, you never know." 

Keith rolled his eyes but gave in just as well. There seemed to be no point in fighting the inevitable. He stood from his bedside as he grabbed a jacket hanging lazily from the bed post. "I won't be out long." 

"I want you home by eleven at the latest." Takashi stated, and then turning to Lance, he added, "Can I trust you to make sure he gets home safe in one piece?" 

With his hand raised in a mock-salute to his forehead, Lance replied, "Aye, aye, captain! I'll have him home and safe before eleven!"

"Good." Takashi laughed and gave Keith a pat on the shoulder. "Call me if you need me, and remember to have fun."   

"Yeah, okay." Keith responded, a tone of defeat as he slipped his feet into his shoes and began to make his way out the door. Lance was quick to follow behind. 

Takashi shut the door behind them, though he kept a close eye until he was sure that they had safely made it into Lance's truck. 

Technically speaking, the truck didn't really belong to Lance. It was his older brothers, but since his brother had been studying abroad, he had left the vehicle in Lance's care in the meantime. Lance had only recently acquired a full license but that didn't stop him from insisting on driving absolutely everywhere. Despite the fact that Keith and Hunk's houses were close by, he had jumped at the chance to drive over to Keith's house when he hadn't shown up to the party. 

"So you didn't wanna come to the party after all, huh?" Lance asked to break the ice. "If you wanna head back in now, then I can tell them you got sick or something." 

Keith wasn't interested in getting into the details and instead shrugged his shoulders. "I'll just hang around for a bit. It's not a big deal." 

"Yeah, cool, cool." Lance said, sliding the keys in and starting up the engine. "Everyone's pretty excited to see you, so they'll be happy." 

And then, when Keith didn't respond, Lance added, "I know we could get into some pretty heated arguments as kids, but it's good seeing you again." 

"Did we?" Keith asked, absent-mindedly. 

"Tch," Lance rolled his eyes, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "You haven't changed much, I guess." 

"I guess not." Keith responded, flatly. Never the best at conversation, it wasn't as if Keith had much practice to begin with. Lance tried to be understanding but he grew irritable quickly, especially when it came to Keith. He never knew why. 

"Are there a lot of people there?" Keith asked, after another moment of silence beheld them. 

"No, not really. Maybe twenty people, probably a couple more by now." 

That sounded like a lot by Keith's standards. 

"It'll, y'know, it'll mean a lot to Hunk and Pidge even if you're just there for five minutes to say hi. I doubt anyone else will come up and bother you." 

"I can handle talking to a few people. You don't have to say it like I'm some anti-social menace." Keith said bluntly. 

"Woah, woah. Never said you were," Lance replied quickly before sighing and allowing his voice to get softer. "I get it, Keith. It's not your scene. And after everything you've been through, I can see why you keep to yourself the way you do."

Lance quickly took note of the way Keith suddenly froze up. He continued to speak.

"And hey, u-uh, I'll drive you home once you've had enough of it all so don't like... you know, don't be afraid to ask me to. I still think of us as friends, even if you don't or whatever. So just... ask me for favours when you need them. I wanna do what I can to help you feel safe."  

Keith blinked a few times, his eyes focused only on the path ahead of them as Lance pulled the truck off to the side of the road near Hunk's house. 

"Okay... Thanks." Keith finally responded. "Then make sure you stick around where I can find you." 

Lance smiled and nodded his head. "I'll be close by, don't worry. And I'm not a drinker, either, so you'll be gettin' a safe, sober drive home."  

Much to Lance's surprise, Keith gave him a brief-lasting smile in response before exiting the car.

The sound of loud music greeted the two before they had even entered the house, but the yard and the interior of the house remained in decent condition. The bulk of the party appeared to be taking place in Hunk's basement. While descending down the stairs, Keith was reminded of the many times he had played in that very basement as a child. It's looks hadn't changed much over the years, and even the same framed pictures of a child-aged Hunk with his baby siblings remained on the walls. 

Keith cast his gaze upon the party-goers for a few moments before trying to figure out his next move. Lance remained plastered to his side and after awhile, he lightly tugged on the sleeve of the other boys jacket. He leaned in toward Keith, and spoke loud enough to be heard over the music.

"I see Hunk and Pidge over there. Wanna say hi to them?" 

Keith nodded his head. "Yeah, sure." he said, and then he followed Lance's lead through the crowd. 

Whether it was method or charm, Lance easily navigated his way throughout the crowd, greeted by nearly every guest he crossed paths with. The same guests would resume talking after he passed by and paid no mind to quiet Keith.

"Keith! Heeeeeeey, it's Keith!" Hunk shouted when he spotted the two approaching. He threw his arms high into the air, nearly losing his balance in the process. Before the smell on his breath could give it away, Keith could tell plan as day that the boy was already tipsy from drinking. Pidge, who stood beside him, appeared to hold her alcohol much better, and at the most, got lost in an occasional fit of giggles.

The bridge of Hunk's nose was completely bruised by then. Based on appearance alone, it looked rather painful. Keith clenched his teeth tightly together, feeling pitiful for having caused the injury.

"Hey." Keith greeted, to which Pidge thought was absolutely hilarious for no specified reason.

"You guys are already shit-faced, huh?" Lance asked, not sure whether to be amused or annoyed.

"Ehh... y'know, we been drankin' a bit. You guys took sooo long to get here, we were like," Hunk had to pause to laugh, "we were like, 'lets drink!' Right, Pidge? Oh man, it was funny. You had to be there."

Pidge continued going into hysterics, causing Lance and Keith to give each other a mutual glance of confusion that was quickly shrugged off.

"Alright, I'm not usually the one on this side of things but I guess I've gotta take care of you guys, huh?" Lance resigned to his fate with a sigh. "This is the last time I'm agreeing to be your designated driver, Pidge, ya hear?"

Pidge nodded her head. "LOOOoooOOOuuuUUD and cleeeeear!"

"Oooh, don't worry so much. We're bein' real careful." Hunk intervened with a wave of his hand. "We've been drinking a lot of water so we won't be hurtin' so much tomorrow."

"That's good, at least." Keith stated, as if it were any consolation.

"More than I expected, anyway." Lance agreed with a nod. "In the meantime, you guys should be taking it easy. The host of the party getting too drunk to control things could be bad news."

Hunk shook his head, and then, turning a pale white colour, quickly wretched, "Oh, man, moved too fast, moved too fast."

Pidge continued to laugh.

"Sit down, ya big goon." Lance groaned, taking hold of Hunk's shoulders as he helped him onto the nearest chair. He then grabbed him a glass of water. "Drink up, and don't move around so quickly."

Hunk sipped at the drink, "Yah, thanks, man. The room is kinda all like, spinny right now. Like, wooooo." 

"He gets dizzy so quick. Not like me, I could run a marathon right now!" Pidge stated proudly as she mimicked a runner at the starting line of a race. Before she could take a step, Lance grabbed her by the shoulders as well. He picked her up as if she weighted the amount of a napkin and plopped her in the seat beside Hunk.

"Nu-uh, not today, Pidge. Your mom'll have me be-headed if I let you run out of here drunk as a skunk."

At the mention of her mother, Pidge's expression fell a bit. "She's gonna kill me, isn't she?"

Hunk placed a hand on Pidge's shoulder, "Oh, Pidge.... Most definitely. It was nice knowin' ya."

"Remember me fondly... Even you, Keith! Don't forget me again!" Pidge grumbled, sinking into her chair.

Lance and Keith exchanged a glance again, resulting in Keith awkwardly looking in the opposite direction.

"Don't be so dramatic." Lance eventually responded, after casting his gaze away from the boy. "We just need to sober you up."

Hunk quickly shot up, his fist pointing upwards in excitement. "Aha! I know what to do!" he proclaimed, his face once again white from the fast movement. "Lets play a game!"

* * *

The party-goers sat in a circle on the basement floor. In the center of the circle was a glass bottle. Everyone exchanged glances, and a few whispers, but it was plainly obvious what game Hunk had in mind.

"Spin the bottle? Really?" Keith asked, an eyebrow raised. "I'm not playing."

"Oh, come oooon!" Hunk pleaded, his hands in a praying position. "You can just play for like, cheek kisses or something! Even air kisses! Puh-leeeeeease! We wanna play with you, tooooo!"

Keith rolled his eyes. "I'll spin once. For air kisses."

"YEEEES!" Hunk clapped his hands together. "I'm happy, man. I mean, not cause I wanna kiss you or something- I mean, you're a nice dude and all, don't get me wrong but I mean like- I'm glad you're here with us again and we all really missed you and--"

"Let the game begin!" Lance cut in, taking the opportunity to be the first to spin. The bottle went around and around before slowly landing on a red-haired girl who Keith wasn't familiar with. Lance seemed pretty happy with his result, and leaning in to the middle of the circle, had met the particular girl at the lips.

"Woooooo!" Everyone had cheered at the first result of the game. Keith could feel himself growing more uncomfortable by the second.

Hunk was the next to spin, and the bottle had landed on yet another girl that Keith couldn't recognize. The two kissed, cheers followed, and the pattern seemed to continue on and on until it came to Keith's turn.

He stared vacantly at the bottle for a moment, hesitant, though comforted somehow by the promise that he only had to keep things to the bare minimum. With a sigh of resolve, he reached forward, and turned the bottle with his hand. He felt an instant pang of regret as he watched it spin around.

 _I wish I was at home. Why did I have to go and hurt Hunk's nose? Why did I ever agree to be his gym partner in the first place?_

As the bottle came to a slow halt, Keith's eyes followed it's tip, his line of vision steadily running up the course until the face of 'the chosen one' was in sight. As he locked eyes with said-person, he swallowed back.

_Why did Lance have to come pick me up? Why did anyone have to go and notice that I wasn't here? ___

____

____

"No way, I'm not kissing him!" Lance protested, having watched closely as the bottle's tip had landed in his direction. "I only play for the ladies."

"I'm just going to spin again." Keith said, reaching toward the bottle.

"Nuh-nuh-nuh! God works through the bottle! What it says is what we do!" Hunk protested. "Just do a quick one on the cheek or somethin'."

Keith glanced back at Lance, who had stubbornly crossed his arms and was shaking his head. "Nope. Not doing it."

"If you're so scared," Keith said, his voice more taunting than anticipated, "then I'll just spin again."

 **"SCARED?!"** Lance repeated the word in offense.

The crowd broke out into a teasing 'Ooooooh' at Lance's expense, which only caused him to get more fired up.

"I ain't scared of something dumb like a kiss with _you_!" Lance continued to yell.

"Then prove it, man." Hunk said, a laugh in his under-tone.

"Fine." Lance stated, now serious. He then pointed straight at Keith, his eyes narrowed in determination. "Keith Kogane, I'm about to give you the best kiss of your life!"

Keith was thoroughly embarrassed by the amount of unusual attention he was receiving, but he also wasn't about to back down from the challenge at hand. He wasn't going to be _that_ boy at the party that ran away from one little kiss.

The two leaned in the centre of the circle in unison- and the rest happened very quickly. Keith cupped Lance's cheek in his hand as Lance grasped onto his shoulder. Their lips met in the middle, comfortably finding their position after a second, and then just like that- the kiss had deepened. Lance was somehow warmer than Keith had expected him to be, and his lips were smooth with saliva. They continued on for what felt like much longer than necessary, but both were too stubborn to be the first to pull away.

When they did finally back away from each other, Keith slowly opened his eyes, staring deeply into Lance's own eyes. His heart was racing, and he took quick, short breaths. And then, he couldn't explain why -he didn't think he even wanted to know the reason- the two had leaned in again, eyes closed, lips tightly pressed together. Somehow the world around them felt non-existent, and completely silent. It was only them, and a kiss that Keith didn't ever think could feel this good.

His mind racing, Keith didn't want things to ever stop, but he knew he had to break away sooner or later. As he began to lean back, he could feel Lance slide his hand upward from his shoulder, easing it slowly until it was around his neck. Keith froze up completely.

As if his mind had shut down completely, Keith let out a loud, unintentional scream as he shuffled backwards, his hands tightly around his own neck in a defensive position. Lance, who remained in the center of the circle, stared at him with wide-eyes. The rest of the party remained silent- eerily so.

His breathing now laboured and his hands ever-so shaky, Keith stood and excused himself from the party. He made a beeline straight for the stairs, and didn't stop long enough to hear the crowd of whispers that followed his sudden departure. His mind became completely fogged over and he lost focus on the world around him until he suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing he was now walking straight down the middle of the road, with a vehicle honking closely behind him. 

Keith didn't bother to turn to face the source of the noise, as he changed his course and began to walk on the side of the road instead. The car then sped up, pulling up infront of him, and blocking his path. As he finally glanced up, he saw that it was Lance's truck, and that Lance was quickly hopping out of the vehicle.

"Hey, earth to Keith?" Lance called out, walking toward him. "Can you hear me?"

Keith furrowed his eyebrows but then nodded his head.

"I kept calling out to you all the way down the driveway but you weren't responding at all. I thought you went deaf or something."

Keith shook his head.

"So, are you..." Lance hesitated to continue, not sure what to say in the given situation. "Are you alright? Did I hurt you or something?"

"I'm fine," Keith finally responded, placing a hand on his neck again. "It's just..."

"No," Lance interrupted. "You don't have to say it. I get it. The neck thing, I remember. I'm sorry, I should've realized. I wasn't thinking about what I was doing." 

"It's fine." Keith said, "I didn't mean to... freak out, and make you feel bad or whatever."

"Nah, it's my fault. I shoulda known better." Lance stated, taking another step forward. "Uh, that offer to drive you home is still standing. If you want."

Staring into Lance's eyes once again, Keith was drawn to the warmth of the boy like a moth to the flame. He nodded his head, "Yeah, I'd like that."

Lance broke out into a grin, "Great! Lets get a move on, then."

* * *

The drive had been a long, quiet one, though not necessarily uncomfortable. With his cheek rested in his palm, Keith watched as the street-lights passed them by.

"Where are you taking me?" Keith asked nonchalantly, knowing that they had gone well-passed his house by that point.

Lance laughed quietly. "Just hold on. I wanna stop somewhere for a quick minute."

A few more streets passed until they had arrived to the quietest part of town, where not a single soul remained in the dead of night: The lake front. Lance pulled in, parking just at the tip of the shore.

The lake-front in Cosmos was especially small, and not particularly well cared for. The land was muddy and gross, but the sight of the moonlight reflecting on the water was still a peaceful sight. Keith stared out of the windshield at the gently flowing water for a moment before finally casting his gaze to Lance, who had already been looking toward him.

Illuminated in the bright blue light reflecting off the water, Lance's complexion was practically glowing. Keith was only then noticing how smooth his skin was. How well cared for it must be, he thought.

"Why did you want to come here?" Keith asked, leaning his head back onto the head of his seat.

"Well," Lance started, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel. "I have a brother who used to get panic attacks, and when we were little, something about being near running water kinda helped him calm down. I remember our mom would take us to the beach sometimes late at night when he was really having a bad one. She'd take him by the hand and they'd walk along the shore together until he started to calm down. Eventually, just seeing water or thinking about it would help him calm down. I thought maybe... I don't know, I can't really say anything cause I obviously don't understand what you've gone through, but y'know, I just thought, maybe-"

"It's nice, I like it." Keith interrupted him. "It really is calming to be near. It's a nice, clear night out, too."

Lance smiled. "I'm relieved, then."

Keith smiled in return, his attention more so on Lance than the lake.

Easing back into his seat for comfort, Lance leaned closer to Keith, eye-contact unwavering. "Hey, can I ask you for something?"

Keith nodded his head.

"Uh, well, can we... have a do-over?"

Keith raised an eyebrow. "A do-over?"

Lance's cheeks now becoming a soft red, he responded, "Yeah. Of the whole spin-the-bottle thing. I just don't want you to remember it as ending on such a bad note for you."

Blinking a few times, Keith wasn't sure what to say. Any other day, he'd absolutely be appalled by such a suggestion. Any other day, he wouldn't have given in to spin-the-bottle in the first place. And any other day, he wouldn't be sitting there in Lance's vehicle, staring intently at his lips and thinking about how lovely it would be to kiss him again.

"Sure," Keith had agreed, "Just to end things on a better note."

Lance smiled again, shuffling closer to the other boy. "Can I put my arm around your waist?"

Keith nodded his head, and as Lance did so, he brought his own arms up, wrapping them around the other boys shoulders. They both leaned inward, the tips of their noses gently brushing against each other until their lips finally touched, soft and sweet, right in the middle.

* * *

Lance had been the only thing on Keith's mind for the remainder of the weekend. After their long-lasting kiss in the truck had ended, the boy had promptly driven him home and wished him good night before returning to the party himself. Keith had gone to bed but didn't sleep for hours to follow. When he finally did go to sleep, the scene played out in his mind, over and over and over again.

Keith awoke the next day feeling a sense of anxiety that he never had before. He had let somebody into his life again. What was he thinking? It gave him a sense of panic like no other. He felt positively foolish for allowing himself to give into strange feelings of impulse. What was he supposed to do now? Would he be expected to just hop back into his old friend group like nothing had happened? Would Lance bring up what happened? Would he tell other people?

He didn't know what to do, or what to say, so he did what he did best- he ignored the situation. When school resumed on Monday, he quietly kept to himself like he always had. He avoided looking at Hunk during their gym class together, and smoothly avoided any familiar faces from the party as they passed by in the hallways. Things would just go on as they always had. Nothing would change. It was like the party had never even happened.

"Oh-- hey, sorry." A familiar voice had snapped Keith back to reality. As he gazed up, he realized he had bumped into Lance as they both attempted to turn the same corner, going opposite ways.

Keith quickly averted his gaze and kept walking before the voice called him back.

"H-Hey, Keith! Wait up a minute!" Lance had called out, quickening his pace.

Now that Keith took a good look at him, he realized that Lance was dressed pretty nicely that day. His usual style consisted of graphic t-shirts with a jacket thrown over and a pair of jeans, but that day he appeared more dressed up. With a dark turtle-neck, and a cardigan rolled at the sleeves, Lance looked more cleaned-up and adult-like than usual.

Keith began to feel his mind running at a mile a minute again.

"Can we talk?" Lance asked, now only a step away from Keith.

 _Shit. Shit. Shit._ Keith's mind was a haywire wreck at that point. He panicked, not knowing what to do or say. He inhaled a quick, sharp breath before coldly replying.

"I don't want to talk about what happened. I don't even want to think about it. I don't know what happened or why but... I don't want to talk."

Lance had visibly frozen up, his mouth slightly a-gap as he processed what had just been said. "Oh. Yeah. Cool, okay. Yeah, uh, no worries. It's good." 

Keith swallowed back, awkwardly remaining still in place.

"I'll see you around, then." Lance said, nodding his head slightly as he took his leave.

Keith watched as the other boy made his way down the hall, unaware that it would be the last time that he would see him, that those would be the last words he would ever say to him.

A mere two weeks later, a car crash would claim Lance's life, and he'd never be seen again.

Or at least, that's how things were supposed to have ended.

Instead, a year after the event, the 'dead' boy now sat in front of Keith as they recalled the story together. No details spared, the memory still fresh in both of their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! Sorry for the wait for this chapter! Let me know what you think in the comments, and thanks for reading this far!


	4. What Lurks Beyond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance can't quite come to an understanding just yet but the ever-growing presence of a strong, harmful entity may very well force them to.

"Before you, I had only kissed girls before and I didn't really let myself ever think about how it'd be with a guy. I don't know, when I kissed you, it all made sense." Lance explained to Keith, in complete seriousness.

Keith stared at the other boy, his hand still clutching his sore head as he asked, "So do you like me or something then?" 

Lance immediately became defensive. "What? No, obviously not." 

"But you just said it all made sense when you kissed me." 

"Yeah, it made sense that I liked boys, too. Not you specifically."  

"So you would've felt the same way if it was, say, Hunk instead of me?" 

"Sure. Invite him over and test out your theory." 

"That's another thing I was thinking about." 

"What? Me and Hunk hooking up?" 

"No, not that. You couldn't even hug him earlier. You both went right through each other." 

"Yeah, and?" 

"Well, you made contact with me. When the roof was collapsing and you jumped over me, I felt your body." 

"I don't know, I don't really get the logic of any of it." 

The two stared at each other, confused as they became lost in their own thoughts and theories for a moment.

Keith let out a short sigh, and realized it was for the best that they get back to the initial topic. "What did you want to talk about when you stopped me in the hallway? It must've had something to do with the party." 

"Yeah. No Kidding." Lance responded, sarcastically.

Keith rolled his eyes. "So what were you going to say?" 

"I just wanted to see if we were still on good terms but none of it matters now. You shut me down hard."

Keith didn't respond. Lance took it as a chance to elaborate.

"You're so... hot and cold. There's a moment where you're all warm and friendly and then all of a sudden you're cold and distant. The night of the party? You were so warm, man, I really thought you were finally opening up, and then just like that, you were ice cold again. Pure ice." 

Growing irritated, Keith blurted out, "Just say it."

Raising an eyebrow, Lance retorted, "Say what?" 

"You clearly think I'm fucked in the head."

"No, Keith. I don't think that." Lance's tone grew louder. "Nobody thinks that. I'm just pissed you threw me aside like it was nothing."

"So it meant something to you?" 

"Yeah, kind of? At the very least, it meant you were letting me in, and I thought, 'Hey maybe I still mean something to him.' But no, I didn't. I still don't. You won't even tell people that we're friends because you hate me _that_ much. It stings like hell." 

There was no use in Keith attempting to refute the points Lance was making. He had no good argument in defense of himself. He instead closed his eyes tightly, wishing that his splitting headache would come to an end already. 

"I don't think talking about this is going to help us figure out anything." Lance spoke up, this time more quietly to accommodate Keith's aching head. 

"I don't really know what to say." Keith eventually confessed. 

Lance shrugged his shoulders. "You're not in the shape to say anything. We should talk about it later." 

Before the conversation could continue, there was a light knock at the kitchen door. On the other side stood Adam, who was sliding his glasses on his fatigued face. "Is everything alright in here?" he asked, his voice heavy and deep with sleepiness.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Keith just woke up with a pretty bad headache." Lance explained.

"Oh? Did you take medicine?" Adam asked, becoming more alert.

Keith nodded his head. "Yeah, it's just slowly kicking in."

"You should be in bed resting, then."

Keith briefly looked at Lance before standing from his seat. "Yeah, I think I will." he replied, leaving the kitchen.

Before exiting, Adam shot a meek smile towards Lance. To which Lance returned, and said, "Goodnight, Adam."

"Good night, Lance." Adam responded, taking his own leave.

With a sigh, Lance allowed himself to mindlessly float upward in the air. Despite being weightless, he felt oh-so very heavy in that moment.

* * *

The following morning, Keith allowed himself to sleep passed his usual early-morning wake up time. Though his headache had gone away, it had left behind a lingering displeasant feeling that caused him to become nauseous if he so much as stood too quickly. By the time the feeling had passed, it was almost mid-day and the entire household was already up and moving.

Takashi and Adam had spent the morning in Keith's battered bedroom, assessing the total damage. They started by taking out the salvageable items and placing them in the living room. Of course, there wasn't much. Anything that hadn't been torn apart by the harsh winds was then destroyed by the pelting rain. By the time Keith was awake and moving around, he had stumbled upon the small pile and began to look through it. The bulk of it was clothing from his closet and dresser, that at the most had gained a strong scent of mildew, but were otherwise undamaged. Among the items was a small box, categorized messily in marker from his childhood, it was simply titled: 

**Keiths things. DO NOT touch!!!**

Though it had been some time since Keith had gone through the box, which he had previously kept neatly hidden in the back of his closet, he knew exactly what it contained. He braced himself as he lifted the lid of the box, and began to sort through it's contents. At the top were several photographs from his early childhood. His father, Takashi, and even his old childhood friends, all made appearances in said photographs. He didn't look through them all. The next items in the box were more childish items such as old drawings, journal entries from his kindergarten class, ticket stubs from the first few movies he had ever seen in theatres, and so on. These items didn't interest him much. He removed them, seeking something further.

The item of interest remained there, in the bottom of the box, hidden away where only he knew it existed. A glock 19 semi-automatic pistol. He didn't dare touch it. He hadn't laid a hand on the gun since he initially placed it in the box at age nine. He simply stared at it for some time, careful to pace his breathing. A chill running down his spine caused the hair on his arms to stand up. Once the ominous feeling had passed, Keith placed all of his childish possessions back into the box, covering the gun layer by layer until it disappeared from plain sight. By then, Takashi and Adam had exited his room and noticed that Keith had awoken.

"Oh! Morning, buddy." Takashi greeted with a smile.

"Good morning." Adam followed in greeting.

"I heard you weren't feeling so well last night. How'd you sleep?" Takashi asked, now taking a seat on the couch.

"Fine," Keith replied, sliding the box back to his pile of possessions. "I'm feeling okay now."

"Good, make sure you stay hydrated, and eat something, too." Takashi said, to which Keith simply nodded. "You've seen already, but we started working on your room. You've still got a lot of clothing that survived, it'll just need a good cleaning once we can run the washer and dryer again." 

"Thanks for grabbing it all." Keith said, glancing over at the pile, the smell of mildew still strong in the air. Though not a particularly bad scent, it certainly didn't make the idea of wearing any of it ever again sound very appealing.

"The rest of the damage is pretty intense, though. It'll take a lot of repair to get back in shape." Adam explained, electing himself as the barer of bad news.

Yet, Keith could only shrug, not entirely surprised by the diagnosis. "Yeah, I figured that much."

Placing an arm around the boys shoulder, Takashi held him close for a second as he ruffled his hair. "I'm sorry, honey. I know it's rough on you to lose your own space like this."

"It's fine, really." Keith said, letting his head go limp against Takashi's shoulder. "All that matters is that nobody got hurt."

Takashi and Adam both let out a light laugh, more than likely out of relief than anything else.

"At the very least, it's a good opportunity to rebuild your room so that it's bigger for you. It's pretty cramped for a boy your age." Adam said.

"Yeah," Keith agreed, "A new look wouldn't be so bad."

* * *

Later in the afternoon, though not yet quite evening, Takashi and Adam had gone outside of the house to get a proper assessment of the outdoor damage, while Keith decided to give his bedroom one last tour before bidding it a final farewell.

The further walls of the room were already developing large spots of mold on them, and the smell was strong. Keith covered his nose with the tips of his fingers, his breathing kept to a minimum. His mirror had been shattered to pieces, the shards already neatly swept up by the two older men of the household. He had worn his shoes while in the room, as advised, as the carpet was still thoroughly soaked and made a gushy wet noise with each step. Bits of branches were scattered around the room, and his mattress still appeared to be dripping wet. Soon, the room would be blocked off completely, with tarp blocking off the roof and the doorway until it could be recovered. Given the state of the town, it was unsure of when exactly they'd be able to call professionals for help since most homes in the neighbourhood were still without power.

Taking a slow step forward, Keith used a delicate touch as he brushed his fingertips across the top of his dresser. He collected little spots of water with his finger tip, leading them on a long trail until they formed together with a much larger puddle of water sitting in the center of the surface.

A few loud, wet steps could be heard coming up from behind Keith. He turned to face them, having expected to see either Takashi or Adam, but nobody was there. He glanced down, the sight of footsteps forming on the drenched carpet were coming into plain sight, though the owner of them was nowhere to be seen.

"Lance? I can tell you're there." Keith commented, now lowering his hand from his nose.

Not even a second later, a cold gust of wind shot through the room, slamming the door shut in it's path. In an instant, the temperature had dropped considerably, turning into a near-freezing state. Keith's eyes widened, knowing all too well that the situation was mirroring the night his roof was torn off. He shot his hands up toward his neck in an effort to protect himself, but he wasn't fast enough. A strong, cold hand had gripped his throat and was pulling him upward. His body shot against the wall harshly, knocking the wind out of his lungs. He couldn't yell, talk, or even breath, as the hand released him and he fell toward the ground. The moisture of the carpet instantly soaked his clothing upon impact. 

Keith scrambled to get up from the ground, knowing he had to escape, and quickly. He had no fighting chance against an entity that he couldn't see, much less physically defend himself against.

The dresser beside him began to rattle, threatening to fall on top of him if he didn't move fast enough. He grimaced, his hands forming into tight fists as he attempted to roll out of it's path, but the pain forming in his lungs was a great disadvantage to his movements. He felt a pair of hands grip on to him, and he tightly closed his eyes as he braced for the worst. But these were not the large, cold hands that intended harm upon him. As his body was forcefully rolled out of the way, Keith landed on his back and quickly shot his eyes open to the sight of Lance, just as the dresser came crashing down from where he had been laying only seconds ago.

Keith coughed in an attempted to regain his breath. "Can....." he managed to breath a bit, panting between words, "Can you see what it is?"

Lance shook his head as he helped Keith sit upwards. "I'm as clueless as yo--" his words were cut short, as a blow to the face sent his body hurling across the room.

"Lance!" Keith called out, now standing shakily to his feet. His fear was quickly taking the form of anger. "Alright, this is enough! Show yourself already, coward! I'm not scared of you anymore. I'm not a child anymore. You have no power over me and I will **kill you again!** "

Standing from the other side of the room, Lance wiped a spot of blood from his nose, perplexed by the sight of it. The idea of a spirit gaining an injury seemed unreal- but then again, nothing about the issue at hand seemed real at all.

The room's temperature had quickly become so frigid that the coldness was a bitter pain down to the bone. Keith could feel his teeth chattering, and water forming in the corners of his eyes, but he stood his ground regardless. The wetness of his hair and clothing was slowly hardening to a stiff frost. Lance had quickly rejoined his side, blood sloppily smeared across his cheek, the cold having no effect on him.

A deep, booming laugh echoed throughout the room, causing both Keith and Lance to tense up and unintentionally take a step closer to each other.

"Kill me again, you say?"

"Yeah! Did he stutter?!" Lance retorted, glancing all over the room in an attempt to catch even the slightest glimpse of the attacker.

Keith's hands were now in tight fists, shaking from hot fury amidst the freezing cold. "Y-You.... It really is you...."

Lance looked at Keith with worry. "We should get out of here, Keith. This isn't good. There's nothing we can do until we figure out a way to see him."

Once again, the booming laughter filled the room.

"Go on. Try as you may, but nothing you do can stop me now."

Red. Everything was dyed in bloody red. The colour of pure, blinding rage. It drowned Keith's entire body until he could feel nothing but fury. No longer did the sensation of the bitter cold, or the pounding ache in his bones hold him back.

" **Show yourself!** " Keith bellowed out. He kicked his foot forward, making hard contact with the fallen dresser. He kicked it over and over again, all the meanwhile screaming at the top of his lungs. He leaned down, gripping the dresser tightly with both hands. In one swift motion, he tossed it off to the other side of the room, the weakened wood snapping upon impact. His rage not yet satisfied, Keith directed his anger toward the bed instead, tearing into the mattress before lifting it and discarding it on top of the dresser. He kicked the bed posts until they snapped. And he screamed, and he screamed, and he screamed.

"Show yourself! Show yourself!" he would repeatedly scream over and over, his voice beginning to crack under the pressure. As he turned around, looking to aim his anger toward the broken shards of mirror, Lance grabbed a hold of his fists, and firmly pressed his forehead against the other boys, looking him seriously into the eyes.

" **Keith.** " Lance began, his tone loud and firm. "Take a breath. He's gone."

Keith hadn't realized how laboured his breathing had become until looking into Lance's eyes. He struggled to catch his breath, his body remaining tense and shaky. He began to think of the lake-front. The calmness of the shore. The soft moonlight casting a hue of blue upon the world. Quietness. Calmness. His body began to ease along with the thoughts, and he lowered his raised fists. His forehead slumped down from Lances until his head rested on his shoulder in quiet defeat. He stayed there a moment, the ache of his body beginning to return to him as he caught his breath.

They were both bleeding from various spots. It was hard to tell from where. There were probably too many areas to be sure. Lance rested his hands gently on Keith's shoulders as he waited for him to regain his composure. Once he raised his head again, his face pale and weak, Lance gave him a sad smile and helped lead him out of the room.

They were greeted by two others as they exited the room, though they were not the two people they had assumed would have been waiting. No, these two faces were not familiar at all. There stood a slim women with dark skin and long flowing hair, and a tall lanky older man with ginger hair and a quirky moustache.

"I'm sorry to just barge into your home like this, but..." The woman began to speak, a hand rested daintily across her chest. "I sensed something so dark and sinister coming from this house that I couldn't possibly ignore it."

Keith stared at the two with narrowed eyes. "Who are you?"

The woman and man exchanged quick looks, before giving each other a nod. The woman spoke again, "My name is Allura, and this is my butler, Coran. This might sound strange but I have unusual powers... My father was Mayor Alfor."

Keith felt a small numbness taking over his mind. He knew exactly what she was going to say next.

Allura looked down, her eyebrows sunken, "He was murdered by the same man who murdered your father, I believe. And I greatly feared that the energy I sensed here was related and I... I'm so scared to have been right about that."


	5. Wind-Down Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Allura and Coran introduce themselves a little further, the boys finally find some time to wind down.

The early hours of evening had arrived, and with it, a light rain had started to fall from the darkened sky. The breeze was gentle in it's journey and thus far proved to be no great threat to safety. Nights with clear skies felt as if they only existed in distant memory. 

Keith winced as a disinfectant-soaked cotton ball was dabbed against his scraped cheek by Takashi. On the other side sat Adam who was bandaging the already cleansed cuts, and behind him stood Lance who was rubbing his damp hair dry with a towel. Although he insisted he could take care of himself, there was no stopping the others from doting on him after the ordeal he had just been through. 

"I'm sorry that there's nothing we can do about your injuries, Lance." Adam had said, looking at the boy with a sympathetic glance. 

"Nah, it's alright!" Lance insisted, giving Keith's hair one last ruffle with the towel before setting it aside. "Nothing hurts so I'm good!" 

Try as they may, their every touch went right through Lance, and they were unable to treat his wounds. Though Keith's touch was solid, anything he would attempt to use to help Lance ultimately had no effect, and so the boy simply had to make do as a result. He didn't particularly mind, as he had gotten out of the fight a lot easier than Keith himself had. 

Sitting there in oversized clothing lent to him by Takashi, Keith couldn't help but feel embarrassed as their two new guests sat across from the group silently while he was being taken care of. 

Allura and Coran had introduced themselves, but their explanation regarding why they arrived at the house still wasn't fully clear. In Allura's own words, she had strange powers, and sensed a demonic entity was wrecking havoc in the small home which piqued her interest. Against her better judgement (and Coran's insisting that she tread with caution), she had entered the home in a rush while Takashi and Adam were speaking briefly with neighbours. 

By the time Takashi and Adam had re-entered the house, the unfamiliar duo were already speaking with Lance and Keith who had just exited the room where the intense incident had taken place. Immediately, the two younger boys were fretted over by the older couple, which brought them to their current state. 

"Last one," Adam stated, carefully placing a bandage on Keith's cheek with care. "And there you go! How does it feel?" 

"It's good, thanks." Keith replied, half-truthfully. His chest and back were still aching pretty badly, and the idea of even standing in that moment seemed like a daunting task. 

"I'm sorry we weren't there," Takashi said. "You're definitely not leaving my sight this time, and there's no going back into that room alone." 

Keith wasn't about to argue against his brother, feeling no temptation to return to his old room any time soon. He nodded his head. "Got it." 

A light cough from the other side of the room had turned the attention toward Allura, who give a brief, apologetic nod. "I truly do apologize for my rashness, and... breaking and entering into your home like this. I had only hoped I would arrive in time to be of assistance to you." 

"How did you know something was happening, anyway?" Keith asked. 

"Well, I..." Allura began, not sure how to logically phrase herself in a way so that it didn't sound so outlandish. "I've had this dreadful feeling for days that something dark was lurking in this town, something much deeper than the storm itself. A supernatural sort of darkness. The feeling only continued to grow as the storm worsened. Coran insisted that I at least wait for the storm to dissipate to a safer state before seeking the cause of this ill-feeling." 

"So you, like..." Keith tilted his head slightly to the side in thought. "You sense ghosts?"

Lance's eyes widened in wonder as he floated to the opposite side of the room. "So you totally sensed me too, and that's the real reason you showed up, right?" he asked, eyebrows raising up and down. 

"No," Allura answered, casting a side-glance to Lance. "Your presence isn't very strong since it doesn't pose a threat to anybody." 

"Huh. Well, that's a good thing though, right?" 

Allura nodded. "It's unusual but there's a reason for everything... Anyway, getting back on track here, I do sense ghosts, yes. My powers awakened shortly after the death of my father, Mayor Alfor. His spirit actually still lives within our home." 

Takashi and Keith shared a brief look before Takashi asked, "So does that mean-" 

Allura shook her head before he could get his question out. "Regrettably, I do not sense your father's presence in this home." 

"That doesn't make sense. He died here, so shouldn't his spirit be here too? And Lance being here makes even less sense since he has nothing to do with any of this." Keith explained. 

"The supernatural rarely makes perfect sense," Coran finally piped up. His voice was somehow goofier than expected. "And Allura, though an expert in her own right, can really own speak through her own theories." 

"Precisely," Allura responded. "I'll have to learn more about what has happened here before I can start gaining a clear image of what's going on. You're certain that the spirit that attacked you was..." 

"The guy that murdered my dad, yeah. I'm positive. When he spoke, it was clearly his voice." Keith said, feeling both Takashi and Adam put a supportive arm around him. Though he would normally oppose it, he couldn't deny that it was comforting at the time. 

"The fact that you heard him speak is very worrisome." Coran stated.

"You mentioned earlier that you couldn't see him, though?" Allura asked. 

Keith and Lance nodded their heads. 

"That, at least, may very well be a good thing. For the time being." Allura responded. 

" **That's** a good thing?" Lance asked in disbelief. "He was totally kicking our asses in there and we couldn't do anything about it!"

"Yeah, that sounds far from being a good thing." Keith grumbled. 

"I know it sounds completely absurd but it's the truth. If you saw a solid physical form then it would likely mean that he was at full power, and then nobody would stand a chance of getting rid of him." 

With a sigh, Lance crossed his arms. "How am I fully visible then? Wouldn't that mean that I'm stronger than him right now? I don't get any of this." 

"There's so much going on that it's a lot to take in all at once. Even I'm quite confused..." Allura said. "There's so much dark history to go through. If possible, I'd like to have an in-depth conversation about everything with all of you. It would help us figure things out and perhaps come to a more clear understanding."

Coran agreed, "Running through it all might end up piecing things together better than we could imagine." 

"Is that a conversation you're ready to have, Keith?" Adam asked, turning to him. 

With a shrug, Keith stated, "Yeah, it's not a big deal. I don't really have a choice, anyway. We need to deal with this before it gets worse." 

The room grew silent for a passing moment after his comment, as each person carefully processed the current situation. Allura would be the one to eventually break the silence. 

"For now, I'd like to return to my home and prepare to perform a cleansing of your home. I sense no immediate danger, so please be at ease for the time being. We can resume our conversation when I've returned." Allura explained. "It'll give us all a little more time to be ready- mentally, emotionally, physically. I know this won't be easy for any of us." 

"When will you return?" Takashi asked. 

Looking at Coran for a second, it was as if he and Allura were able to communicate merely through a glance. She brought her gaze back to the boys. "Tomorrow morning. Is that alright?" 

"Everyone can get a good night's sleep! But make sure you all stick together just to be on the safe side." Coran added. 

"Again, I truly am sorry about barging in on you all and suddenly unloading all of this on you." Allura bowed her head. 

"No, it's alright. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that it's a great help, and makes the place feel a lot safer having informed people around." Takashi was quick to assure. 

Adam smiled and nodded as well. "We really wouldn't know what to do, otherwise. So thank you." 

Allura smiled in return, bowing her head once more for good measure. "I'll see you gentlemen tomorrow morning. Rest well."

* * *

Allura and Coran had taken their leave just as quickly as they had arrived. Light rain continued throughout the evening and into the night, but it never grew any stronger than a drizzle. 

Takashi kept serious about not letting Keith out of his sight, and as a result the group remained unseparated for even a moment. 

As it was still too early to go to sleep just yet, Lance had suggested that everyone do facials as a way to pass the time in relaxation. 

After only a few moments of searching, Lance was able to compile all the ingredients necessary for home-made face masks that he claimed were all very soothing and effective. The main ingredient was honey, which he then mixed into three different batches. The first batch was honey mixed with aloe vera gel, which he gave to Keith. The second, honey mixed with cinnamon, for Adam. And lastly, honey mixed with lemon juice for Takashi. 

The group sat around the coffee table, a tall rose-scented candle lit in the center, as they applied the mixtures to their faces. It was a rather interesting sight, their fringes all pinned back messily so as to not become sticky and wet. 

Keith closed his eyes as Lance helped him coat the mixture on. Lance was careful to avoid the bandages, his fingers running softly across the budding bruises. He took his time doing so, both out of caution and interest. He'd never seen Keith's hair pinned back, and so, he never realized that he hadn't seen his full face before. His forehead was rather short, and his eyebrows thick. His hairline was full, with many baby hairs threatening to escape from their pins. He also had very long eyelashes, but Lance was already aware of this. He remembered the way that they had tickled when the two had kissed. 

Illuminated only in the soft light emitting from the scented candle, Keith looked very warm, and for the first time in a long time, relaxed. As Lance ran his honey-coated fingers softly beneath Keith's eyes, he was only then noticing how dark they had become due to sleep-deprivation and stress. He felt sad for him, and a pang of guilt accompanied. He was sure that his own appearance, and bringing up their drama from the past, was no help given the bigger picture of the current situation. 

"How long do these stay on for?" A question from Adam had snapped Lance out of his deep thoughts. 

"Fifteen minutes!" Lance answered, giving Keith one more pat on the cheek before adding, "Annnnnd, done! Now it's just the waiting." 

Keith opened his eyes slowly, his gaze remained upon Lance until his vision was back into focus. He muttered a quick thanks before facing the others at the table.

"Someone will need to tell me when the time is up," Adam said, "I can't see a thing without my glasses."

With a small laugh, Takashi answered, "We will, babe. Don't worry." 

"So you really can't see anything without them?" Lance asked, holding up a peace sign with his fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?" 

"It's not like everything becomes a total blob," Adam answered, and then with a laugh, he sarcastically replied, "Seven, obviously."

"Shit," Lance said, slowly lowering his hand, "You really are blind." 

With that, the room became lost in roaring laughter, to Lance's confusion- until he realized what he'd just fallen for. When he noted that even Keith was hunched over, covering his face with his hand because he was laughing so hard, he couldn't help but join in on the laughter himself. 

Nobody could remember the last time they had laughed so hard, and because it had been so long, once they started they found it difficult to stop. Even when the joke stopped being funny, they continued to laugh until it become painful to do so, and by the time they finished, it was time to wash the honey off their faces.

* * *

"Tucking me into bed is kind of pushing it, Taka." Keith said, yet he smiled all the same. 

"It's my job as your concerned big brother to be a pain." Takashi countered, bringing the blanket up to Keith's shoulders. "Just be glad I'm not forcing you to lay right inbetween Adam and I all night so that we can really keep you close by." 

Keith scrunched up his nose teasingly. "Yeah, this is fine by me." 

Takashi laughed, and leaned down, briefly pecking Keith's forehead. "If anything happens, I'm right here. I love you." 

"Okay. I love you, too." Keith said, closing his eyes as Takashi got into his and Adam's bed. 

The couple briefly kissed, wishing each other a good night, before blowing out the candle on the nightstand and settling into bed. 

The time passed slowly for Keith. He had taken some medicine, but there was still a dull ache in his bones that was just irritating enough to keep him feeling too restless to get right to sleep. The sense of impending doom that the next day threatened wasn't helping his case either, only causing a whirlwind of anxiety in his mind. 

What if things didn't go right? What if they only angered the spirit further, rather than cleansing the house of it? What if it suddenly manifested a physical form and wreaked bloody havoc across the town? 

So much could go wrong, and in Keith's life, nothing ever went right. 

For the first time in years, he thought about how badly he wanted his dad to be there. He was very fortunate to have Takashi in his life to act as his guardian but, at the end of the day, he still missed his father terribly, and he knew Takashi did too. 

If only he could be there, if only he were alive, if only his spirit could appear as well. 

Keith tightly closed his eyes, knowing such thoughts were only serving to hurt him more. He need to rest, and to focus his mind on what really mattered. He needed--

"Lance?" Keith quietly whispered, the name escaping his lips before he could even realize what he was doing. 

The boy appeared before him in a flash, his head laying on the pillow next to him. 

"Everything good?" Lance asked, his eyes quickly surveying the surrounding area. 

Keith opened his eyes and blinked a few times, just barely able to make out Lance's features in the dark. "I can't sleep." he said. 

"Uuhh... Did you want a lullaby or something?" Lance asked with a raised eyebrow. "Can't really say I'm the best singer but here goes---" 

Before he could begin, Keith covered the boy's mouth with his hand. "Shhhh." he pointed up toward Takashi and Adam's bed, where the two men remained sleeping. "No, I don't want a lullaby." 

"So why'd you call me then?" 

"I don't know." Keith huffed, taking his hand back. 

Lance remained quiet for a moment, finding himself amused by the interaction. "You're lonely?" 

He noted that Keith's cheeks had gained a hint of red, and he laughed, stopping him before he could even argue back. "I'm just teasing." 

"I am not lonely." Keith refuted, regardless, "I can't sleep because it hurts. And I'm worried about tomorrow." 

"It hurts? You mean your injuries and stuff?" 

Keith nodded his head. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't help." 

A pause followed, Keith blinking softly a few times as he gazed upon Lance's face. "That's not true. You helped." 

"Yeah, some help I was." Lance countered. "I just showed up right at the end, and did nothing but get hit." 

"The ocean," Keith said, out of nowhere, causing Lance to raise an eyebrow. "Ever since you took me there, I think about it a lot. You were right- it's really calming."

"So that's what snapped you back to reality earlier?" Lance asked, an amused smile on his lips. 

"Yeah," Keith said, pressing his cheek against his pillow. "When I looked at you, I saw the ocean again." 

Lance blinked a few times, unable to speak. His cheeks burnt a bright red and he felt himself getting embarrassed by the unexpected compliment. 

"I shouldn't have brushed you off like that, back in school." Keith continued to speak, his voice was low but serious. "I don't know why I panicked. I don't understand why anything happened the way that it did. I don't-" 

Lance cut off Keith's words as he reached forward, and intertwined his fingers with the other boys. Lance's touch was cold, helping to ease the overheating of Keith's own hand, and in turn, brought a pleasant warmth for Lance. 

"Go to sleep, Keith." Lance said, interrupting him. 

Despite these being words that Lance had wanted to hear for so long, he couldn't let Keith go on. It was growing too late, and they had far too big of a day to follow for him to not allow Keith to sleep. 

Initially taken aback, Keith gave in easily and smiled lightly, his hand still intertwined with Lance's as his closed his eyes. Softly, he mumbled, "Good night, Lance." 

Lance smiled, giving his hand a gentle squeeze before replying,

"Good night, Keith."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short but I hope it suffices! I wanted to give the characters some relaxing time before going back into some big drama!


	6. The Zarkon Murders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the group reflects on the situation together, they all recall what happened to them exactly on the night of The Zarkon Murders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Please read!**
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> In this chapter there are sometimes detailed descriptions of murders and crime scenes. I tried to make sure things weren't too graphic, but if this is still an uneasy subject for you, then I have also made a much lighter version. 
> 
> If you do not think that you can stomach it, please stop reading this chapter after the second line-break (as the characters begin to talk about the night of the massacre), and skip ahead to the next chapter. The next chapter will have the same summary of events but described lightly in a news article-esque fashion.

By the time that Allura and Coran had returned to the small house, the sun had yet to rise. It was only moments shy of being six in the morning, the sky still a dark grey with a light rain to accompany it. 

Takashi and Adam had awoken early, careful to creep out of the room so as to not wake the two sleeping boys on the floor. 

Apologies filled the room as Allura entered, Coran close behind, but they were quickly re-assured. 

"No, I insist, it's completely fine." Takashi said. "I just haven't woken Keith and Lance yet. Is it alright if we just give them a little extra time to sleep?" 

"They're holding hands. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen." Adam stated, his tone completely deadpan despite his lighthearted words. 

"Oh," Allura exclaimed, in surprise. "Yes, no problem, that should be fine. Those two could probably use the extra rest after the night they had."

By then, they were all seated properly at the table, expressions serious and ready to get to business. 

"That's another thing," Adam mentioned. "Takashi and I talked about it a bit already and... Is it possible for us to not involve Keith in this?" 

Eyebrows raised, Allura looked between the two. "What do you mean?" 

"He's still in a lot of pain, and the painkillers aren't really helping him. We should be finding a way to take him to a doctor." Adam explained. "He's already gotten so hurt, and none of this can possibly be any good for his mental health, either." 

Allura quietly slipped into deep thought. 

"I know it might complicate things," Takashi added, "and I'll be the first to praise what a tough kid he is, but there has to be a limit. My anxiety is through the roof just leaving him unattended one room over." 

"I'm very sorry that I haven't stopped to be more sympathetic to all of your troubles. I wish I could do more..." Allura began to speak, her tone suggesting regretfulness. "But I... unfortunately, I can't permit it." 

Although they had sensed this outcome as being highly probable, Adam still asked, "Why not?"

"Well, you see... uhm..." Allura averted her gaze, finding it difficult to always be the barer of bad tidings. 

With a hand placed gently on the young girls shoulder, Coran took this as his cue to share some of the burden. "It seems we've got a bigger problem on our hands then we realized."

"I can't say I'm the least bit surprised," Takashi reponded, a sigh to follow, "Lay it on us." 

"Allura and I managed to grab a good bit of supplies after returning last night. A car load, really. We'll get into the details of all that later, of course." Coran explained, "We decided we'd much rather practice precaution then go into the situation under-prepared, so we thought a trip outside town collecting some additional gear would do us good." 

Takashi and Adam nodded along as they listened, waiting with anticipation for the bad part. 

"As we arrived to the corner of town, we ran into the issue. Out of nowhere, our vehicle had stopped moving as if it were frozen in time. Driving forward was impossible!" 

"There's a dark barrier surrounding the town," Allura said, now ready to continue speaking. "It has the entire town completely engulfed. It would seem that... nobody can leave, and nobody can enter." 

"A dark barrier?" Adam repeated, eyebrows furrowed. 

Allura nodded her head. "It's all related back to him-- To Dai Bazaal." 

"Dai Bazaal," Adam repeated the name slowly. "He's the one that..." his voice trailed off. 

Takashi nodded his head. "Murdered ten people, including my father, and Mayor Alfor." 

"The spirit that now haunts this town with a vengeance." Coran added, sadly.

* * *

Rain drops trickling against the windowsill would be the noise that Keith first heard upon awakening. His eyelids felt as if they'd grown heavier, opened with lazy hesitance. The blurred image of Lance's face came vaguely into sight as his vision adjusted. He was still lost in a deep slumber, his breathing gentle as a quaint draft. 

Voices in the kitchen could be heard at a distance, though Keith couldn't understand a single word being spoken. He wondered what time it was, and how long he'd been asleep for. The dull ache of pain in his body had lessened in intensity, but continued to cause discomfort if he moved too much. 

The two boys hands still linked together, Keith dreaded parting them in fear that his wrist had become locked in place after so many hours of sleep. For the time being, he moved no more than a slight finger wiggle at a time. 

Gazing upon Lance's sleeping face proved to be unusually fascinating. As he breathed in, there was a snore, and as he exhaled, a slight whistle. Keith watched the pattern continue for some time, finding it hypnotically soothing. 

He inched closer with cautiously small movements so as to not wake the other boy. He brought his hand upwards, Lance's fingers still strongly clung to his, even in slumber. 

How nice it was to have had such a calming night and morning amidst an otherwise chaotic life. Keith was sure to enjoy the small moments, knowing that they wouldn't last for long. He felt no particular rush to get up, even though he knew that he should. 

Soon after, Lance's eyes began to flutter open, and as he gained a clear image of the boy infront of him he smiled lightly, fighting off the sleepiness that remained. 

"Hey," he greeted, his voice groggy. 

Keith replied, "Morning." 

Glancing up at the bed above them through squinted eyes, Lance quickly realized it was empty, "I guess we slept in, huh?" 

Keith nodded his head. "We did." 

"Allura and Coran are already here?" Lance asked, and Keith nodded his head again. 

"We should probably go join them." 

They released their hands as they sat up, the sensation left behind was very strange and empty. They didn't take long to get themselves ready, and then, they joined the group gathered in the kitchen. 

The room fell silent for only a second before Takashi greeted the two with a smile, "There are the two sleepyheads. How'd you guys sleep?" 

"Great!" Lance exclaimed.

"Fine," Keith replied, as he sat himself beside Takashi. 

Adam, who sat on the other side of the man, leaned over slightly to look at Keith. "How're you feeling?" 

"I'm fine," Keith replied again. "A little sore, I guess." 

Takashi and Adam both wore sad looking smiles, knowing there wasn't much that they could do to make things easier on the poor boy. 

"Good morning, I apologize for getting here so early," Allura cut in with a polite smile. "I'm feeling confident about what we can accomplish today, however." 

"Although we should start with that bad news again!" Coran added, looking to Keith and Lance. "Unfortunately, as it would seem, the entire town is covered with a dark barrier, thanks to You-Know-Who!"

"Huh? The bad guy from Harry Potter?" Lance asked, furrowed brows. 

"No, that's 'He who shall not be named', Lance." Adam corrected. "They mean Dai Bazaal." 

"Ooh, yeah. Crazy murderer guy. That makes a lot more sense." Lance said, crossing his arms and nodding his head along. "So a dark barrier around town, huh? What does that mean, exactly?" 

"Yeah, that can't be good." Keith said, his expression flat. 

"For now, it means nothing more then that nobody may leave or enter this town." Allura explained. "If we can stop Dai Bazaal while he's still a relatively weak spirit then it won't progress to anything worse. I think we can do it." 

"That's actually pretty re-assuring to hear." Takashi commented.

"I would've guessed that he was already at full strength." Lance said, shaking his head. "That dude was strong." 

"Strong for only moments at a time, yet weak otherwise." Allura responded. "It's difficult to explain, but not being able to see his physical form means that his power is still limited, and it's always best to attack something at it's most vulnerable state." 

"No, I get that, I just..." Lance tilted his head, "I don't get why I appeared so clearly to all of you right from the start then. I didn't have to power up or anything." 

Allura could do little more then give a short laugh, and shrug her shoulder. "You're really an outlier, Lance, and even I have no explanation. Your situation is too unusual to use logic against. But you're a powerful ally for us, so I don't think that your appearance is mere coincidence." 

The answer seemed to satisfy Lance, causing him to smile as a result. 

Her hands now politely crossed on the tabletop, Allura decided it was time to change the subject. "We said before that sharing stories of our experiences may help us realize new information, or at least come to understand each other better. If you don't mind, I'd like to share my story with you all now." 

The room had quickly grown quiet at the new, serious tone. Nobody spoke, there was only nods in response. 

Allura began to retell her perspective of the event that had taken place ten years prior. And then, after she had finished, it would be time for Takashi and Keith to tell their own versions as well.

**The Zarkon Murders**  
Allura  & Coran's Story

It was early autumn, the days still warm, but nights growing longer and colder with each passing day.

The weather on this particular night, however, was rather unforgiving. As a storm began to roll in, the entire town was put at a standstill, and there were no signs of it clearing up any time soon.

Mayor Alfor had returned home after a particularly long day. Having known it would be a late night on the job, he had asked his trusted butler, Coran, to take his wife, Melenor, and daughter, Allura, out to a nice meal. The arrival of the storm had been unexpected, and the three ended up stranded at the restaurant for a few extra hours as a result. 

As Alfor had entered his home, he was horrified to find that a trail of blood was the first thing to greet him in the main hallway. His eyes followed it until he found the corpse of the families live-in nanny, Hys, discarded carelessly beside the staircase. The woman lay lifeless on the ground with her eyes wide open, staring vacantly at the ceiling. On her chest were several stab wounds, where fresh blood continued to flood out. 

Before Alfor had time to react, the murderer had revealed himself to be Dai Bazaal, a man with whom he had worked with in the past. Their relationship had not ended on good terms, although nobody quite knew the reason behind it. 

Whether Dai Bazaal and Alfor spoke during those moments was unclear. Nobody would ever know what had happened during Alfor's last moments of life. All that was known is that he had been stabbed approximately thirteen times, before he collapsed to the ground and succumbed to his injuries. 

Hours later, Coran, Melenor and Allura returned from their trip, and were horrified to find both Alfor and Hys in the center of the brutal crime scene. Coran was quick to shield the eyes of young Allura, but it had been too late. She had already seen a horrific sight that would send her into hysterics for many days to follow. 

They had called the authorities, who by then had already recovered Dai Bazaal's corpse from the Kogane household just a few streets over. That was when they learned that Alfor had only been one of many stops made that night by the man, and that many households in the neighbourhood were sharing the same nightmare that they were. 

A long invesigation in the household revealed no motive that Dai Bazaal had for committing the heinous crime, but Coran was able to confirm that he was aware of a past friendship between the two that had gone sour many years previously.

* * *

Takashi's and Keith's Story

Dallas Kogane was a firefighter, and the single father of twenty year old Takashi, and nine year old Keith. Although Takashi had been living in a university student-apartment at the time of the murders, he was coming home for the weekend to visit his family.

It was in the early evening just after the storm had begun. Dallas had been making a pot of coffee while Keith sat at the kitchen table, completely enamored by a handheld gaming system. After nearly an hour of having to listen to repeated video game sound effects, Dallas turned to the boy. 

"Don't you ever take your eyes off of that thing, bud?" He had asked, and received no reply. He waited a moment before he sat in the seat across from his son, coffee cup in hand, to speak again. "Your brother will be here soon, why don't you dress up a little more?" 

To this, Keith let out a small snort of a laugh. "Taka doesn't care what I'm wearing." 

"It's the thought that counts," Dallas responded, laughing as he shook his head. "He's missed you a lot. Aren't you excited for him to come home?" 

Finally, Keith put his game on pause and set down the console. He had a cheeky grin on his face as he nodded his head up and down. "Yup, I miss him lots. He hasn't been home in forever and ever and ever and ever." 

"It's weird to think how long just a few months can feel, eh?" 

Keith seemed surprised by this statement. "Well," he began to counter, "That _is_ a really long time!" 

Dallas let out a laugh, his focus now on their yard just outside the window. The storm continued to persist, and only seemed to be getting worse. "I sure hope this weather lets up while he's on his way home. Wouldn't want him getting into an accident." 

As Keith suddenly wore a very worried expression, Dallas quickly added on to his statement. 

"Oh, now, I'm sure he won't, bud. He's a real careful driver, anyway." 

"What if other people aren't as careful as him?" 

"He's got the devil's luck. It's in his blood." Dallas explained, "Maybe he'd get into an accident and come out missing some limbs but he'd still come out alright." 

Keith's face was quickly drained of all colour, and he looked as if he might start to cry. 

"I'm just teasing you, Keith, don't give me that look." Dallas said. 

However, his attempt was in vain, as big droplets of tears began to run down Keith's face. He bunched his hands up into the sleeves of his sweater, dabbing his eyes as he sobbed. 

Dallas felt bad, but ultimately, had to fight back to hold his laughter at the dramatics of his small child. "He's gonna be fine, honey. Nothing bad is gonna happen."

"It's not funny!" Keith cried out, now angrily rubbing the tears from his eyes as he hiccuped between sobs. 

Coughing into his hand to clear his throat, Dallas quickly changed his expression to a more serious one before he stood from his seat and went to Keith's side. He took a seat beside him and scooped the boy up into lap before putting his arms around him and holding him closely.

"No, no, it's not. I was being a big meany." 

Keith stubbornly didn't speak. His grumpy mood made him stubborn, and he refused to do anything other than pout. 

But, Dallas was no stranger to his kids bad moods and he knew he just had to quietly wait things out, and then, eventually, distract Keith until he was finally in a better mood. He continued to hold onto the boy, running a gentle hand through his hair until he was too soothed to sob any longer.

And then, when he thought the coast was clear, Dallas began to speak again. 

"When Takashi gets home, he's gonna be so amazed by how much you've grown, mark my words." 

Keith was quiet for another moment, his head resting against his father's shoulder, until eventually he replied, "Do you think he grew, too?" 

"Yeah, maybe," Dallas said, and in a more teasing tone, he added, "Maybe he even has a long, crazy beard by now." 

Keith pulled away from his father with a scrunched up nose. "I don't want him to!" 

Laughing, Dallas replied, "I'm sure he looks just the same as he did in the summer." 

A sudden knock at the door caused both Dallas and Keith to sit upright. Dallas set Keith on the ground as he stood up, and gave him a little push on the back. "That's probably him now, go get changed." 

Keith took his cue, and ran off past the door to his bedroom. He shut the door so that it was only open a crack and began to messily look through his nicer clothing in the closet. 

Just outside the door, he could hear his father opening the door, but there was no excitement to follow. It was eerily silent, until finally, he spoke up. 

"Dai, what's- what's goin' on, man?" Dallas asked, but Keith couldn't figure out who he was talking to. "Hey, hey, what're you--" 

The man's words had been cut off and replaced by a low groan of pain instead. 

"Stop it, Dai--- STOP." 

Keith could feel his blood running cold at the sound of his father's yelling voice, as he was usually a passive, soft-spoken man.

He ever-so quietly crept to the crack in his door where he peered outside at the scene playing out in the hallway. When he realized what was going on, his face turned completely pale. 

A bolt of lightning just outside had perfectly illuminated the strange figure in the hallway. The unfamiliar man was tall with broad shoulders, and he carried a bloodied knife in his left hand. Just below him was Dallas Kogane, laying on the ground as he writhed in unimaginable pain. A pool of blood surrounded the two, and it didn't take much calculating to figure out why. 

Keith covered his mouth with his hands to prevent himself from screaming audibly, quiet tears streaming down his cheeks. He didn't know what to do, or how to help, and he knew that he was far too little to fight against a hulking grown man like Dai Bazaal. 

He glanced back into his room and caught a glimpse of his window. It was storming outide but if he was careful, he could run out and go grab help. The house was only one story tall, so he would land comfortably on the ground and wouldn't risk hurting himself. So long as he wasn't heard, he could easily make a quick, safe get away, and possibly get help before Dallas died of his injuries. 

"You had another one, hm?" The unfamiliar man's voice spoke. It was chillingly deep, and threatening. 

Keith now looked back at the two men, and it dawned on him with horror what he was referring to. 

The man now stared at him through the crack in the door, and he was slowly approaching, placing his messy knife into the leather scabbard on his belt. 

"DAI, DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HIM," Dallas pleaded with desperation from the ground. He painfully rolled over, grabbing a tight grip of the mans foot with refusal to let go. "THIS IS BETWEEN US, DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HIM, HE'S JUST A KID." 

Dai Bazaal briefly turned his attention back to Dallas, and Keith took this as he cue to run for the window. His effort was cut short when the back of his sweater was gripped onto, pulling him back. Keith now let out a loud, audible scream, as he tumbled down to the ground beside his father. 

Leaning down, Dai Bazaal gripped the child by his neck and began to hold him upwards to the ceiling. 

"Take a good look, child," He spoke, menacingly. "This is what happens to those who betray me. Their whole lot must pay the price as well." 

"Dai, please, I'm beggin' ya here, let 'im go, he's just a little kid," Dallas' pleading voice was now softer and more desperate. 

Keith's hands were gripped tightly against Dai Bazaal's, but he was no match for the grown man's strength. He groaned quietly in pain but could make no more than a low whimper. He was losing air quickly and couldn't even produce a proper scream. 

Dai Bazaal lifted the foot that Dallas so frantically clung to, and continuously kicked the man in the face until he was forced to let go. He then placed that same foot onto Dallas' stomach, where his stab wounds bled profusely, and twisted and turned it slowly. The man yelped in searing pain, beginning to cough in the form of blood. 

And then, suddenly, there was silence. With complete fear in his heart, Keith realized that he was now alone with the stranger. 

Dai Bazaal kept a tight grip around Keith's neck, and took a few steps into the boys room. He reached downwards, uncovering a gun from the inside of his jacket. 

"Don't worry, Kogane. I'm easy on kids. One swift bullet. He won't even feel it." he said, now holding the weapon against the child. 

Keith tightly closed his eyes, his entire body trembling in fear. Far too young to know what to do, and losing too much air to even think, he could do no more than kick his legs around in the air and just pray that when he opened his eyes, everything would be back to normal.

Keith's kicks grew stronger as he felt the cold tip of the gun make contact with his temple. One particularly swift kick to Dai's face had caused the man to drop his guard for a mere second, but, it was unknowingly the perfect time. 

By some odd stroke of dumb luck, the kick had caused Dai to take a step backwards, where one of Keith's toy cars remained on the floor. The man slipped on the car and began to fall as it rolled forward. He had loosened his grip on Keith's neck, and the boy felt himself falling as well. Keith made hard contact with the ground where he had landed on his behind.

He gasped for air, the feeling painful against his already bruising neck. He carefully glanced over at the silent Dai Bazaal, and saw that the man was laying motionless at the foot of his bed. A trail of blood was running down the front of his dresser and Keith quickly clued in to what had happened. 

Dai Bazaal had hit the back off his head off of the dresser as he was falling, and he was either dead or unconscious at the moment. Either way, Keith knew he needed to act fast despite the paralyzing fear that lingered. 

Having landed beside Keith was the gun. A glock 19 semi-automatic pistol. Though he, of course, did not know the specifics at the time. Keith grabbed it and held it in his hands, holding it shakily towards Dai Bazaal's body as he watched for any movements. He was too frightened to get any closer. 

Some time passed, Keith couldn't be sure how long it was, and he continued to shakily hold the gun in front of him incase Dai Bazaal suddenly sprung back to life. He didn't know what else to do. He was beyond scared. 

The front door suddenly opened and Keith jumped back, gun at the ready. 

"Dad?! Dad, are you okay?!" The voice was panicked but familiar. Takashi had finally arrived home from school, and was only moments late of having to be a part of something horrific. 

And then, Keith wasn't sure why- even for the years to follow- but he quickly scrambled to hide the gun that he was holding. He opened a box up from inside his closet and messily shoved the gun inside before concealing it again. 

By then Takashi had already checked Dallas' pulse and his worst fear had been confirmed. He began calling his baby brother's name in desperation.

"T-Taka!" Keith attempted to yell out in response, his voice far too strained and hurt to be loud. 

Takashi wasted no time, as he burst into the room and rushed to the young boy. He quickly pulled him in his arms. 

"K-Keith, oh my God. What happened? Are you okay? What's going on?" The panic in Takashi's voice was imminent as he looked around the room and spotted the unfamiliar corpse of a man. 

But Keith couldn't speak. He instead loudly began to sob and cling to his brother for dear life. Takashi held onto the child just as tightly, tears now streaming down his own face. He had no idea what had just taken place, and even Keith, who bore witness to the entire ordeal, was left just as confused. 

After that, Takashi had called the authorities, and the deaths of both Dallas and Dai Bazaal were confirmed at the scene of the crime. He and Keith were questioned for a long time, not letting go of each other even once. 

The nightmare only continued for the following days, and then weeks, and then months. Takashi dropped out of school to care for Keith, who had become an entirely different boy due to the trauma of the situation. 

Takashi sought out therapists, and support groups to help Keith. Slowly but surely, he made eventual progress after years of hard work.

The motive of Dai Bazaal's rampage was never fully clear. Many theories had come up every now and then, but few of them were satisfying to those who remained without their loved ones. 

As the years passed, Takashi came to realize that he'd never feel at ease even if he did know the motive. Regardless of what it was, there was never a need to savagely murder so many men and women, and attack their innocent children as well. Each time he had to pick up Keith from his elementary school due to a panic attack or outburst, he thought to himself, 

_No matter the reason, it doesn't matter. It will never un-do what has already been done._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all enjoying so far! I apologize for this chapter taking a little longer than the rest! It required a little more thinking than usual! Please let me know how you're feeling in the comment sections down below!


	7. News Articles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The news article from Dai Bazaal's murderous rampage, and then another from many, many years later, when Lance McClain died.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the lighter version of learning what happened during the night Dai Bazaal killed many people including Keith's, and Allura's fathers. It also includes some new details not learned in the last chapter so it's worth a read for anyone!

## What Has Come To Be Known As The Zarkon Murders Now Ranks As The Deadliest Massacre In Small Town Cosmos' History 

### November 10th, 2008.

Dai Bazaal (May 24th, 1964-October 29th, 2008) was an American mass murderer who killed 10 people in the small town Cosmos on October 29th, 2008, a spree that later came to be known as _**The Zarkon Murders.**_

On October 29th, 2008, Dai Bazaal (often referred to as Zarkon by those he knew), armed with only a hunting knife, set out on a murder spree during a stormy night. 

The killer first arrived at the seemingly empty home of Mayor Alfor Fala, where he then murdered the family's live-in nanny, Hys, after breaking into the house. Afterwards, he awaited Alfor's arrival before stabbing him to death and leaving his body at the scene, which would later be discovered by his wife, their twelve year old daughter, and their private butler. 

Next, the killer made his way to the home of Coba and Orla Amue, where he stabbed them both to death along with their two young sons, Avok and Bandor. Their only daughter survived the attack after her brothers helped her escape the home and run to seek help nearby. 

Dai Bazaal attempted to follow after the young girl, and broke into the Amue's neighbours home. He killed the nineteen year old babysitter, Ina Leifsdottir, as well as the two young children in her care, Tammy and Chip Stoker. Having mistaken Ina as the daughter who escaped from the Amue household, Dai Bazaal continued on with his massacre feeling unphased by his mistake. 

His final stop would be the home of Dallas Kogane. Having known the man was home, Dai Bazaal knocked on the front door and waited until it was answered to begin his attack. He stabbed Kogane several times before leaving his body on the ground to go after his nine-year old son who was hidden in his bedroom. Dai Bazaal began to taunt the child, and held him in the air while forcing him to watch as he stomped onto the corpse of his deceased father. He then took the boy back into his bedroom with the intention of murdering him, but slipped on a toy car and fell backwards. He died as the back of his head made impact with a dresser located just behind him. After Kogane's eldest son arrived at the home, he brought the young boy to safety and then called authorities to the scene of the crime. 

Dai Bazaal was shortly after identified as the attacker, and the connections to all murders were quickly made with the help of witnesses and escaped victims.  


The motive for the murders is still unknown, but the killer has been confirmed to have had close working relationships with several of his victims in the past.

* * *

## Young Student, 18, Killed By Drunk Driver In Cosmos

### May 18th, 2017

A Rosewood High School student has died after a car crash in Cosmos on Tuesday Afternoon.  


The student, identified as 18 year old Lance McClain, was in the vehicle with his older sister, Veronica, driving down Pollux Road at 7:20pm, when a drunk driver swerved into their lane. 

Veronica was unable to move the vehicle in time to avoid the crash, and the two car's collided head-on. 

The siblings were taken to hospital where Lance was pronounced dead, and Veronica remains in critical condition. 

The drunk driver survived the crash with minor injuries and was taken in by authorities.


	8. The Summoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group begins a house purification, Keith and Lance have a short talk, and things escalate again because why wouldn't they?

The room had fallen into a deep silence after the stories of Dai Bazaal's murderous rampage had finished. There were no new connections or theories to be thrown around, and nobody in particular had learned anything that they hadn't already known via news or word of mouth.

It wasn't a completely useless gesture, however. For Takashi, Keith, and Allura, it was a fairly eye-opening reminder that they were all sharing similar traumatic experiences from very young ages. For years and years, it had been very easy for them all to only think of their individual pains, and forget that others had suffered just as badly that same night.

After opening up, it also helped them to remember what exactly they were fighting for. The many life's that had been lost, and the surviving life's that were forever changed, would be at the forefront of their minds as they began the risky task of attempting to exterminate Dai Bazaal's spirit for good.

To break the silence of the room, Allura suggested that they all begin to take a look at the equipment that she and Coran had prepared for the spiritual cleansing. The vehicle that they had brought was packed to the brim with all sorts of advanced tools and weaponry to use against dark spirits.

It took several trips from the van to the house and back again in order to get everything inside. The coffeetable and couch were moved out of the way in order to make more space. In the center of the room, Coran began to set up a large computer system.

"Please don't be intimidated by some of the items," Allura explained. "We simply wanted to be prepared for all potential outcomes, including the not-so good ones. It's better to be safe than sorry."

The base of the computer system resembled a tall podium that reached up to Coran's waist. There were three thin green-coloured screens that were connected to the podium. A large one in the center, and a smaller one at each side. At the top of the podium was what looked like a keyboard and touch-pad.

"It's all charged up, and has at least twenty hours of use without a power source available." Coran explained, as he began to boot up the system. "But we've never had to use it for any longer than six hours at a time!"

Adam approached the computer set with interest. "And what exactly is it used for in regards to our situation?"

"Well, Adam, am I ever glad that you asked!" Coran stated with eagerness, twisting the ends of his moustache. "This here is the Golion! She's a powerful system that is able to detect all spiritual activity within the property! See, that's Lance over here!"

Coran pointed to a red speck on the screen. As Lance floated over in intrigue, the red speck moved along with him.

"Oh man, sweet! This is so cool! It moves with me!" Lance exclaimed, quickly whipping from one side of the Golion to the other.

"This is incredible technology, Coran." Adam praised the man in amazement.

"You designed this yourself?" Takashi asked.

With a prideful smile, Coran nodded his head. "She's my finest work, and that's not even all that she's capable of!"

"Although, I'll need to show you all something else before we get into those details." Allura cut in with a smile. "We'll be making the most of the Golion by all wearing these high-tech suits."

Laid out neatly were several wardrobe bags which Allura unzipped to reveal the aforementioned suits. Each one was a different colour but appeared to be one-size-fits-all due to their ability to adjust. They vaguely resembled the suits of astronauts, only more form fitting and modern. Allura had a pink one for herself, red for Keith, black for Shiro, orange for Adam, and green for Coran.

"My apologies, Lance, technology isn't advanced enough to make this type of armour for spirits themselves, it seems." Allura joked.

"Nah, nah, s'all good!" Lance waved his hand around. "I always like standing out in the crowd, after all!"

"You guys made these all?" Keith asked, picking up the chest plate of his own suit.

Allura nodded her head. "We've worked on designs for years, and these are our best yet. Each one took several months of care to create. We've sold many to professional ghost hunters in the past and they've all had remarkable results so please wear them with great confidence."

"They feel so strong and durable," Takashi commented as he knocked his fist against a piece of his suit. "But when you said house cleansing, I wasn't exactly picturing it involving intense suits of armour."

"They have other purposes beyond being armour. These suits will have us prepared for situations both good and bad so that we're never caught off guard." Allura explained, as she pointed to the collar of the chest plate. "There is a microphone and tracking device placed along here so that we can still communicate with each other regardless of how far apart we may be. The tracking device makes it so that Coran can always have a visual of where we are located via the Golion."

"The highest ranking professionals are all using these nowadays to even the most minuscule of ghost huntings. It's a great precaution." Coran explained further. "They also come equipped with a specialized bayard. Each one transfigures into a different spirit weapon that can only be used against ghosts. So Lance, please be careful to avoid the bayards! We'd hate for you to get hurt!"

"Thanks, Coran. I'll keep that noted." Lance responded, as he slowly eased further away.

"This is really amazing. The two of you are ready for everything." Adam said, still inspecting the Golion in amazement.

"I'd like to think so!" Coran said, laughing loudly.

As Allura opened another bag, she revealed to the group what the bayards looked like. They had almost resembled a partial steering wheel. In the center was a rod to be held onto, and on both sides were circular similar looking rods.

Setting them down neatly on the table, each facing toward who it belonged to, Allura began to explain, "I know it seems impossible- though I'm sure not entirely insane with all that's been going on- but, as Coran said, these bayards each transform into a weapon when used in association with the proper suit. The weapon is only effective on spirits, and whatever it transforms into is entirely dependant on the user."

"So we can't be sure of what weapon it'll transform into until the time comes to use it?" Takashi asked.

Allura nodded her head. "It turns into whatever will suit you best, and what you could make the most of. So if you're worried that it'll transform into something that might be a disadvantage, just clear that thought away."

"That's good to know," Takashi responded, "Although I hope things don't get to the point of having to use them in the first place."

"Mm, I hope so as well." Adam agreed, finally taking his attention away from the Golion. "This is all worst-case scenario preparation, but somehow the entire situation already feels worst-case scenario. I'm sure that's how Keith and Lance feel, anyway."

Keith couldn't disagree with the point, the ache in his body still far too strong to believe that they'd get out of things that easily. "I'm fully expecting the worst."

"Even if things head further in that direction," Allura spoke slowly, attempting to sound re-assuring, "we'll be fully prepared for it."

"I think we'd all feel a little better about this if we could hear the plan in full." Takashi said, a gentle but re-affirming arm placed around his younger brother. "Would you mind running us through it all, Allura?"

"I'd be happy to," Allura obliged. "If everyone could please gather around, I'd like to begin explaining what we're going to do today."

* * *

Allura had explained the plan in clear detail, and had even gone as far as performing a mock-practice version of it. She had everyone first put on their armour, and though it looked bulky upon first glance, it was actually quite flexible and comfortable to move in.

Then, they were all stationed at different points of the house. Since the house was not large to begin with, they were all more or less within each others points of view.

The purpose of everyone being separated, as Allura had explained it, was that if Dai Bazaal's spirit appeared and attempted to flee, they would be able to stop him in his tracks and end him once and for all. From theories and experience, she had gathered that his spirit could only escape a few different ways, and those ways were through the locations of the house that had significance to him.

Coran remained stationed at the Golion in the center of the livingroom, and was within clear eyeshot of Keith and Lance, who stayed by the front door where Dai Bazaal had initially murdered Dallas. Adam and Takashi were in Keith's tattered bedroom where Dai Bazaal himself had died, and though they could see Coran (and vice versa), they didn't have a visual of the front door. Regardless, they had opted to take Keith's bedroom as their station after all that had happened to the boy in there.

And lastly, Allura insisted on performing the house cleansing on her own. She felt confident in her abilities, and would never be far from the others at any given point.

She began the ritual at the furthest point of the house, where spiritual activity would likely be at a minimum. In her hands, she held a large purple candle with a bright glowing flame. As she slowly made her way through each room, and down the hallways, she would sprinkle a light dust behind her. Though she had explained the purpose of each item, and how it was relevant to the purification of the house, it still went passed the minds of those who had no spiritual knowledge whatsoever.

As the ritual was being performed, Lance and Keith remained alert, but decided to pass the time by quietly talking to each other.

"So, uh, I know now's not really the time but since it looks like this is going to take her awhile..." Lance began to explain, his voice slowly fading off.

"You want to hear what I was going to say last night?" Keith asked.

Lance laughed guiltily as he nodded his head. "Yeah."

As Keith spoke, he averted his gaze away from Lance, "I just wanted to apologize for everything last year. You were right, I'm hot and cold. I don't know why or how to change that, but..."

Lance followed Keith's line of vision. "I was kind of being an ass when I said that. There's nothing wrong with how you are, and I know you can't help it, I just... Y'know, you don't have to be so scared to open up and just tell me, or other people, what you're feeling. I think it'd make you feel better if you opened up a bit."

Keith immediately wanted to deny being scared of such things but he instead resisted the urge to do so, knowing it would only further prove Lance's point. "I don't know how to be like that." he eventually confessed.

"It's easy once you start," Lance said, tapping his chin in thought. "Tell me, how do you feel right now?"

Raising an eyebrow, Keith shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Annoyed by all this drama."

"Personally, I'm scared shitless of what could happen." Lance replied with confidence.

"Oh wow. That's very re-assuring, Lance."

"But I'm not gonna let my fear consume me, 'cause I know it's there and y'know what? I'm just gonna let it be there. Fear keeps me cautious, keeps me from getting too reckless. So yeah, I'm fine with admitting it. I'm scared."

"That's... oddly profound."

Lance laughed. "I can be when I feel like it."

The more Keith thought about it the more he realized how little he had known about Lance during the years where they hadn't spoken with each other. When they were kids, he recalled him being stubborn and sometimes rude. The two argued often, and over mundane things that only kids could care about, and yet they had ultimately been thick as thieves. But things had changed over the years, and the Lance he had kissed at the party, and the Lance he now stood in front of, was a very kind-hearted and confident boy that he couldn't stay annoyed with even if he tried.

"The whole thing is pretty scary." Keith said. "But I feel less scared knowing that I'm not on my own."

Lance smiled fondly. "Yeah, we're pretty lucky to have the group that we do, huh?"

Keith nodded his head, and then, quite boldly, he asked, "Since we're being so honest right now, if I ask you a question then do you swear to tell me the truth?"

His interest now piqued, Lance stood straight up and placed a hand flat out in front of him as if he were holding it against a bible. "Yeah man, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God, or whatever."

"What were you going to say to me at school after the party? And don't say that you forgot."

Lance slowly retracted his hand from the pretend bible, and returned it to his side. "So, all this ghost drama lately is so crazy, am I right?"

"Lance." Keith's voice was no-nonsense, and his expression suggested just as much seriousness. "How can I learn to be more open if you don't lead by example, hm?"

With a fake gasp, Lance couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You sly, sly man. Using my wise teachings against me."

Keith smirked, tilting his head slightly to the side. "I think it'd make you feel better to tell me. Your words!"

"You really want to know?" Lance asked, his voice lowering to a more hushed, secretive tone.

"Of course." Keith answered.

"Did it like, keep you awake at night wondering?" Lance joked, but to his surprise, Keith nodded his head.

"Stop stalling, I really want to know." Keith rolled his eyes.

Lance was quiet for a moment, before he broke into a meek smile. "Uh, y'know, just that I was glad that you came to the party. I actually asked Hunk to invite you, although I didn't go and ask him to get pelted in the face with a medicine ball."

"You asked him to invite me?" Keith asked, his eyebrows raised. "Why?"

"It had just been so long since we all hung out together, and I didn't want to end high school without hanging out even once."

"But that's not all." Keith said. "Saying something like that wouldn't be that big of a deal to you. You wanted to say something else."

"Hey, listen, I didn't know there would be a pop quiz today," Lance joked. "I didn't really prepare my answers."

Keith was stubborn, and unsatisfied with Lance's avoidance of his questions. "You tell me that I need to answer you more honestly, and then you cop out on your answers to me by joking when I ask you anyth--"

"I liked you-- I like you, present-tense. That's what I was going to say." Lance cut Keith's words off. He was done playing around, his cheeks adorned with a bright red as he spoke the blunt truth. "And I was going to ask you if you liked me, too."

Keith opened his mouth to respond, but quickly closed it again after deciding not to. Now that the words had been said allowed, he felt as if he had urged too hard for the truth and caused Lance to admit his feelings before he had wanted.

"Oh, so now you have nothing to say?" Lance teased, slumping against the wall with his arms crossed.

"I'm sorry," Keith replied, "For forcing you to say it."

"I wouldn't have said a thing if I didn't really want to."

The mood between the two grew quiet for a moment as they both slipped into quiet contemplation. By then, Allura was slowly making her way around the kitchen slowly during her rounds, the thin trail of powder following her.

"If you had said that to me back then," Keith finally began to speak, his voice quieter than ever. "I mean, if I hadn't jumped in and stopped you, I'm not really sure how I would've replied."

"Huh. Well, yeah, I think it probably would've gone the same way, only I would've been more embarrassed cause then it would undeniably have been a rejection." Lance said, his tone remained light.

"I'm not so sure about that." Keith said. "Maybe if I had just given you the chance to speak... I think maybe things could've been different."

Lance's posture straightened, his arms now at his sides. "So, what're you saying? Did you like me back?"

Keith gazed into Lance's eyes with sincerity. "I--"

"Keith, buddy, before you answer that," Takashi's voice suddenly spoke out, though the man still wasn't within sight. "Don't forget that your microphone is still on."

His eyes now widening, Keith quickly cast his gaze over to Coran, who was pointing to the collar of his own armour. Keith glanced down. Of course. He had completely forgotten about the microphone planted in the collar for team communication purposes. Everyone had been so silent that it had completely evaded his mind. Which meant that...

"You guys heard all of that?" Keith asked, his voice cracking slightly.

Four voices simultaneously answered, "Yes", with laughs to follow.

"Oh my God." Lance whispered, covering his face with his hands as his body slid dramatically down the wall. "The microphone. The fucking microphone."

"Sorry. I hope it wasn't a distraction." Keith quickly mumbled.

"It was quite a nice conversation, really," Allura said, as she re-entered the livingroom. "It helped pass the time and keep the mood light. Now, if everyone could gather around again!"

As Adam and Takashi exited Keith's bedroom, they shot smirks at the boy before laughing amongst themselves, causing both Keith and Lance to become red in the face.

"Oh, shut up." Keith grumbled to the two before making his way over.

As the group reassembled, Allura handed her candle off to Coran, who set it down steadily on the coffeetable beside him. "So, unfortunately, the house cleansing has had no effect. It's as if Dai Bazaal was never here to begin with."

"Nothing appeared on the Golion?" Adam asked.

Coran shook his head slowly. "No speck other than Lance, I'm afraid."

"So like," Lance cut in. "Did it work that well, or what?"

"It didn't work at all." Allura stated. "He's concealing himself. We'll have to force him out."

"Force him out? You don't mean..." Takashi furrowed his eyebrows with concern.

"Yes, we'll need to summon his spirit and get rid of him face-to-face." Coran answered.

"Isn't that extremely dangerous?" Adam asked.

"It's not the most attractive option but at the moment, it's more or less our only choice."

"So we'll need to use these bayards, after all, to fight Dai Bazaal after he's been summoned." Takashi said.

Allura nodded. "I do apologize, I truly thought that the house cleansing would have done something, or at least have evoked some type of reaction from him."

"It can't be helped," Adam responded. "I know we wanted to avoid it at all costs, but if it's necessary to make this house safe, then we must."

"Absolutely. We need to reclaim our home, and rid the world of Dai Bazaal once and for all." Takashi agreed with unwavering resolve.

"So everybody is in agreement, then?" Allura asked, casting her glance from one man to the next all across the room. Nobody shook their head. "Excellent. Lets summon this demon."

* * *

The room had been cleared even further than the last time. Now, the Golion was pushed off even further to the side, so as to make space in the center of the room for Allura to perform the ritual.

On the ground beneath her was a pentagram drawn in white chalk, a burning purple candle rested at each point. Various candles were placed strategically around the house, though primarily in the significant locations.

"Now, if we only had an item of his, we could move this along a lot faster. But since we don't, we may end up having to wait some time to see him appear." Allura explained.

Hesitantly, Keith asked, "What do you mean by 'an item of his'? Like, something he owned or?"

"Yes, precisely. A possession belonging to the spirit is usually a greater incentive for them to appear when summoned."

"Hold on." Keith said, briefly disappearing from the room. When he returned, he held the pistol previously having belonged to Dai Bazaal in his hand. "Will this work?" he asked, holding it up in plain view.

Allura froze up, her eyes widening. "Where did you...."

By then, everyone else's attention had been turned toward Keith, and the room had grown eerily silent. Takashi took a step forward, grabbing the gun from Keith's hand. "What the hell? Where did you get his gun?"

With a serious, blank expression, Keith glanced up at Takashi and calmly answered, "He tried to shoot me with it after he killed dad. When he died, I took it and hid it away in my room. I've had it ever since."

With that, he took the gun back from Takashi, who remained in a stunned silence. He set the gun down in the center of the pentagram, and then took a few steps back. "It'll work, right?"

"Yes... Of course, it should." Allura stated, she reached forward and held onto the gun. "To be on the safe side, I'll keep it while doing the summoning, so that he doesn't grab a hold of it and start using it against us."

"Okay, cool." Keith responded. When he turned around, Takashi stood blocking his path, arms crossed. He didn't look pleased.

"Why did you never tell me that you had his gun?"

"I knew you'd get rid of it," Keith answered, honestly.

"It should've been in police possession, Keith, it's evidence."

"They didn't need it to help them so I just thought I'd keep it, and now it's conveniently here for us when we need it."

"We'll be talking about this later." Takashi was stern.

"Fine." Keith blurted, walking passed Takashi without a glance back.

"If everyone could please get into position," Allura stated. "We can get this started."

In nervous silence, the men returned to their initial stations. Coran at the Golion. Keith and Lance at the front door. Takashi and Adam in Keith's old bedroom. And Allura, in the center of the pentagram.

Taking a long, deep breath, Allura closed her eyes as she began to chant. The language of the words was unfamiliar, hardly sounding human by any means. The gun remained firmly in her hand, her grip so tight that her knuckles were practically white. The burning flames of the candles surrounding her began to flicker from an orange hue to a bright blue one.

Keith subtly reached behind him, taking Lance's hand in his own. Lance gave him a light squeeze in return. They didn't need to exchange a look to know that the two were sharing the same feeling of worry.

The temperature of the house began to drop similarly to how it had on the previous day in Keith's room. Faintly, it almost appeared as if a fine wind was beginning to blow around Allura, causing the ends of her hair to flutter around.

"It's working," Coran whispered quietly into the microphone so that all could hear him. "She's summoning him, and receiving an instant reaction."

Keith and Lance's grips both tightened, giving a sense of calmness amidst the otherwise bone-chilling scenario.

Allura's voice gradually got louder as she continued to chant, and with it, more of a reaction to follow. The candles were then flickering at a rapid rate, and the temperature was near freezing. Frozen clouds of frost could be seen forming as breaths were taken. A large gust of wind then flew by, causing Allura's hair to stand up on end, and the candles to all blow out simultaneously.

Allura chanted no longer. The room was in cold, dark, silence as nobody dare move.

And then, very quietly, Coran informed the others,

"He's here. Remain in positions."

Appearing as only a red speck on the Golion's screen, Dai Bazaal was not visible to the human eye, nor to Lance.

"He's moving now, very slowly." Coran continued to narrate. "Towards Keith's bedroom. Keep your bayards at the ready, boys."

"Roger that, Coran." Takashi and Adam had stated in unison.

"He's entering the room now, and-" Coran suddenly cut himself off, "Now, that's odd. He's suddenly disappeared. Has something happened, boys?"

There was only silence for what felt like the longest moment to ever pass.

"Shiro? Adam?" Allura asked.

Keith took a step forward, ready to break the formation, before Lance pulled him back.

Suddenly, something came hurling out of the bedroom. In near darkness, it was hard to tell what, but it was almost certainly a human. A large crash followed as the person came crashing into the adjacent wall. Quickly, he got back up on his feet and from silhouette, revealed himself to be Takashi.

Before any questions could be asked, Adam came rushing out of the room in a blaze of fury. He threw his fist foward, making contact with Takashi's face, though this time the man remained firmly on his feet. Takashi didn't return the attacks, he only blocked and dodged them.

Adam moved erratically, his motions violent and shaky like a rabid animal trapped in a cage. The pupils of his eyes had disappeared completely, instead replaced by pure whiteness.

"Coran!" Takashi called out, "What does that thing say about where Dai Bazaal is?!"

"He's not showing up on it at all!" Coran responded in a hurried panic. "He's disappeared right off the screen!"

Takashi groaned as he dodged another punch. "He's possessing Adam! He just started to attack out of nowhere!"

A loud crash came from the kitchen where Takashi and Adam now fought. Adam had smashed a wine glass against the counter and struck Takashi's face with it before he had time to react. A large gash extending across his cheeks and over his nose began to bleed profusely, and his legs slipped out from beneath him in the pool of wine.

Without any prompting, Keith launched himself forward, his bayard at his side. As he prepared to use it, it suddenly revealed itself in the form of a large, red sword. He swung it forward in Adam's direction, but the weapon simply went through him as if it were made of nothing more than air.

Takashi remained on the ground clutching his injured face, making his way up slowly with the help of the kitchen counter. Adam turned toward Keith, his face wearing no expression in particular, but his complexion growing ever-so pale.

"Don't touch him, Dai Bazaal." Takashi groaned, still attempting to stand, albeit slowly. "Don't fucking touch him."

Keith's eyes widened as Takashi's words took him back to a time and place not so far from where they currently were; As his dying father lay in agony on the floor, Dai Bazaal clutching his neck, the dying cry of _'DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HIM!'_ rang through his mind.

Keith was snapped out of his flashback as Adam's swinging leg suddenly made contact with his torso, sending him flying into the center of the pentagram where Allura quickly helped him to his feet. Lance rushed over in a panic, but was stopped in his tracks when Adam set his sights upon him.

Adam's bayard had now taken on the form of a weapon, a bow and arrow, and he pointed it in Lance's direction. With a wicked grin, he pulled the string of the bow and arrow back, threatening to let it go at any given second.

Just as quickly, Takashi had come up from behind Adam, tackling and pinning him down to the ground in one swift movement. The arrow shot out, and Lance wasn't fully able to dodge it in time. It pierced his right shoulder, causing him to scream out in pain.

Keith hurried to Lance's side, placing his hand over the spot where the arrow had penetrated his flesh. "Are you okay?"

Wincing at the touch, Lance slowly nodded his head, clearly in a world of pain. Through gritted teeth, he replied, "I'll be fine, don't worry about me right now."

Takashi continued to pin Adam to the ground, his arms tightly around the man with refusal to let go. Adam continued to flail in blind rage, his power only increasing by the second.

"Adam, babe, come on," Takashi attempted to sound calm and reassuring but his voice was clearly cracking. "Pull through it, come on!"

A warm, red substance began to leak from Adam's eyes and mouth as his violent resistance continued. The mere sight of it made Takashi's heart sink, and his grip on the man tightened.

"What do we do now?!" Takashi asked Allura and Coran in a panic. "He's being killed from the inside out! How do we help him?!"

Allura and Coran shared a panicked look before nodding in unison.

"Continue to pin him down, Shiro! We'll be there to assist you in just one second!" Coran called out.

"We'll have to perform the exorcism right on Adam!" Allura cried, now frantically searching through her bags.

"Is it safe?! Is he gonna be okay?" Takashi's voice was strained.

Allura and Coran exchanged another glance, this time one that Takashi didn't like the looks of.


	9. Possession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam gets possessed, and the only thing left to do is attempt an exorcism. Meanwhile, Keith and Lance sneak off from the group on a solo mission to defeat Dai Bazaal once and for all, but get side tracked along the way.

Blood seeping from Adam's eyes and mouth poured down his face and neck, creating a small pool beneath his head that seeped into the cream-coloured carpet. His glasses had gotten lost somewhere in the struggle, but it didn't stop the spirit inside of him from it's aggressive fight to take over. Takashi continued to hold the man down as tightly as he possibly could, but the task only grew harder with each passing second: the spirit's fervor gaining more and more control over the body. 

"Adam, please," Takashi continued to plea, his tone smooth as silk. "Babe, come on. I love you. Hang in there." 

In the meantime, Allura and Coran had hurried to prepare a last-minute exorcism, gathering whatever supplies they could find during the rush. 

"Can you lift him?" Allura asked, as she placed a chair in the center of the pentagram.

Takashi nodded his head, and just as he struggled to lift the possessed man, Keith had suddenly appeared by his side and offered his help. They brought Adam to his feet and sat him firmly in the chair, where Coran quickly began to tie him in place before he could get away. 

Adam's struggle continued on, blood now streaming from his nostrils as well as the holes of his ears. What little of his skin left uncoated by the substance was sickly paler than he'd ever looked before. The sight was horrifyingly non-human. The veins on his tightened fists protruded so far outward that they almost looked as if they could burst. His body seized beneath the chains keeping him in place, threatening to break free if not dealt with quickly. 

With a heavy sigh, Takashi ran a hand through his hair which had become damp with the perspiration and blood lost during the fight. The gash upon his face continued to bleed, but the pain had only just begun to fully set in. It stung badly as the air hit it, but the pain didn't hold a candle to the agony he felt seeing Adam in his current state. He wanted to scream out, cry, just hold him and have everything fade back to normal. But he kept a brave face. Emotional outbursts could wait until later- they **had** to wait until later.

"Before this begins..." Allura began to speak, "I'd like everyone to please take some steps back. In all directions."

There was no hesitation, nor objections to Allura's command. Coran continued to stay by the Golion for save keeping, but his body and attention remained focused towards the exorcism, his bayard at the ready. Keith hurried toward the back of Adam's chair, and Lance stood opposite Coran at the other side of the room. Shiro remained where he stood in front of Adam, though he hesitantly took a few steps back to allow Allura some space for the ritual. 

Allura closed her eyes and entered a state of heavy concentration. The powder that she previously used to purify the house was in her hands, and she sprinkled it over Adam's body. The man visibly grimaced.

"I call upon the soul of Dai Bazaal," Allura's voice was deep and commanding. "By these chains, and by my power, I call upon the soul of Dai Bazaal to reveal himself."

The violent shakes in Adam's body began to intensify; the chains around him hardly any match for the fight. The chair legs creaked with each movement, threatening to collapse beneath the man at any given moment. His groans of pain ended in piercing yells, the sound reverberating off the walls and causing an ear-shattering echo.

"Reveal yourself, and exit the body of Adam!" Allura continued to call out, her volume raising to match the man's.

There was a deep laugh. Adam now stared up at the ceiling with an amused expression. " **Z-Zarkon-** " he struggled to speak, his voice muffled by the pool of blood forming in his mouth. " **Zarkon empires will reign yet.** "

Allura gritted her teeth together as she ignored the taunts of the spirit. "Exit the body of Adam, Dai Bazaal! Now!" she continued to call. 

The blood began to spill onto the floor as Adam continued to laugh harder, the tone much deeper than his own, the voice clearly not belonging to himself. As the laughter intensified, the shaking of his body began to match it's speed, the chair teetering from side to side, yet it didn't dare tip over. The chains binding him were cracking at the points in which they linked to one another, and had no chance of lasting any longer.

"Adam, please..." Takashi mumbled, cupping his hands over mouth as he could do nothing more than watch the scene play out.

A roaring thunder could be heard just outside the house, the storm's intensity matching the scene that took place inside.

Once more, Allura lifted her hands and prepared to chant when something unusual stopped her in her tracks.

Adam groaned out in agony, his expression fluctuating between something pained and sinister. His struggle no longer resembled the movements of a rabid animal- now he moved more like an injured, dying one. Finally, the chains gave way, and the man collapsed to the ground, no fighting spirit left within him.

There was no hesitation as Takashi sprung passed Allura, falling to his knees beside the injured man. With a gentle hold, he raised Adam's body until he was sitting upright. A quick look might suggest that Adam was sleeping, but given the situation, and the blood that surrounded him, it felt unlikely and left anxiety in the room at an all time high. Two fingers placed against Adam's throat revealed that the man still had a pulse, albeit a faint one. The breaths he took were shallow, and shaky, at best.

"He's alive," Takashi had relief in his tone, but he continued to hold his breath in anticipation. He ran his hand softly across Adam's bloodied cheek, wicking away spots of the substance. "Did drawing the spirit out work?"

The attention of the room was now drawn towards Coran, who was rapidly typing at the Golion. After a few taps at the touch pad, the man gave a thumbs up. "He appears to be...." he typed again before continuing, "roughly around the far bedroom. His visibility is currently very faint. Regardless, Adam should now be all clear."

Allura fell to her knees as she let out a long sigh of relief. "We should have been more prepared for a possession... I'm so sorry. I wasn't strong enough to do something sooner..."

"No, it's alright...You did what you could." Takashi said, his eyes remaining on Adam, looking for any sign of movement. "Adam, can you hear me? Wake up, please."

There was no response. The only noises within the room came from dull echoes of the storm, and Coran's typing at the Golion. There was a sinking feeling in Takashi's heart, and yet, there was nothing anyone could do to help make things better.

Keith's fists tightened at his side as he watched the scene before him play out with a feeling of utter powerlessness. He had retrieved his bayard, and now kept it quietly drawn at his side in preparation of another escalation. While the attention remained solely on Adam, he had managed to slip out of the room and down the hallway, where he intended to end things in the far bedroom where Coran had said Dai Bazaal should be.

But, of course, try as he may, Keith's movements hadn't gone completely unnoticed, and as soon as Lance had realized what he was doing, he departed the room just as quietly.

"Adam, come on, something. Open your eyes, say anything," Takashi continued to plea with the man to no avail.

In a last ditch effort, he tightened his grip on the man, and pulled him in until their chest plates made firm contact. His other hand continued to cradle Adam's cheek, which he then used to raise his chin slightly. Once he was positioned in a closely comfortable way, Takashi leaned down, and kissed him gently. He could feel the delicate tickle of breath coming from Adam's nose as it breezed against his skin.

At first thinking that he had imagined it, Takashi felt a weak push coming from Adam's lips, but he knew it was more than imagination when he felt the man's raised arm rested against his. He pulled away from the kiss, and watched as Adam slowly opened his tired eyes.

"K-Kashi..." Adam's voice strained out, gripping onto the man's arms. "I-I'm s-so sorry... y-your face..."

Takashi could feel his eyes welling up with tears, "It's okay, darling, everything will be okay."

The corners of Adam's lips twitched into what was his attempt at a smile. He slid his hand down Takashi's arm until he reached the hand that rested on his own cheek. Softly, he held it in place. "B-By the way," he managed to whisper, his tone heavy with exertion and residual pain, "I love you, too." 

Takashi let out a relieved laugh, and from behind, Allura had watched a few small tear drops fall upon Adam's cheeks. The two kissed again, this time more briefly, before they pulled away, hesitant to break their gaze from one another, but eventually accepting that they had to deal with the current issue at hand.

"Keith, could you help me get Adam to the couch?" Takashi asked, and when there was no response, he looked up and around the room, surprised to find that the boy was no longer in the room. "Keith? Lance? Where'd they go?"

Now the attention had been turned away from Adam, who at the moment was at least conscious enough to not be _as much_ of a concern as they feared, and instead turned toward the absence of two boys that had been present until only seconds ago.

"I'll search for Lance's location on the Golion," Coran stated, his fingers already at the busy task of typing and clicking away, "I assume Keith won't be far from him."

In the meantime, Allura had assisted Takashi in carrying Adam to the couch. Takashi hooked his arms beneath Adam's armpits, his hands resting upon his chest, taking on the brunt of his weight, while Allura took hold of the man's feet. After setting him down, Takashi propped his head up with a spare pillow, and Allura elevated his feet by placing them on top of the arm rest.

"Lance appears to be..." Coran had suddenly paused in the middle of his sentence. He swallowed back, and continued, "In the far room, approaching Dai Bazaal..."

"He's **what?** " Takashi shouted in response. The idea of Lance, with Keith more than likely by his side, approaching the spirit alone after what had just happened to Adam made him feel nauseous. "We have to go after them. Coran, can you stay here and keep an eye on Adam? Make sure he stays awake."

"Please, Coran. We'll keep you updated on what's going on through the microphones." Allura quickly supported Takashi's point.

Coran was in no position to disagree with the request, though he felt immense guilt at not being able to do anything more for the team. "Of course. But... please be extremely cautious, both of you. Another possession like that and it will be over for us." he warned

"We'll be careful, Coran, and please make sure that you are as well." Allura responded, with a re-affirming smile.

Quickly, Takashi leaned down so that he could kiss Adam one last time before leaving the room, knowing that the high stakes of the current battle made it so that it could very well be their last kiss. "Stay awake. I'll be back soon, darling. I love you so much."

Adam complied with the mans words, his fingers carefully intertwined with Takashi's and not wanting to let go, as the distance between them grew. "I love you so much, too. P-Please be careful, Kashi."

* * *

The length between the livingroom and the far bedroom was not a long distance by any means. It took less than a moment to get from one room to the other, and yet it had been long enough for Lance to notice as Keith slipped out of the room, quietly making his way down the hallway.

Keith stopped briefly at the bathroom, just across the hall from his old bedroom, and grabbed a handful of tissues, shoving them sloppily in the collar of his armour.

"And what do you think you're doing?" A deep voice behind him suddenly spoke.

With no hesitation, Keith's bayard became a sword once more and he swung it behind him, his body turning with the sudden movement. He let out a short gasp, when upon first sight, the only other person in the room with him was Lance, who had luckily been quick to dodge the attack, and was crouched on the floor.

"What the hell are you thinking sneaking up on me during a time like this?!" Keith groaned, his tone angered but quiet so as to not be heard by the others.

"Yeah, I dunno, it seemed a lot funnier in my mind," Lance grumbled, as he stood and let out a long breath. "But really, why are you sneaking off and shoving your armour full of tissue?"

Keith didn't respond, his gaze fixated on the arrow that remained sticking out of Lance's shoulder, where blood had begun to surface at the base of the wound and ran down the front of his shirt. "Does it hurt?"

"Keith, come on, don't ignore me," Lance said, rolling his eyes. "You're trying to stifle your microphone, aren't you? So that they can't hear you go confront Dai Bazaal.

"It's not a confrontation. We're not going to sit and have tea and talk about our feelings." Keith answered, his eyes still fixated on Lance's injury. "You don't have to follow me in there."

"Shut up, I'm going and you can't stop me." Lance grumbled. "I'm not going to let you go and deal with that creep all on your own. We both just saw what happened to Adam in there, and that guy is jacked. And yeah- I know you're strong too, Keith, but you've gotta accept my help. There are some things you just can't do alone." When Keith remained quiet, he groaned impatiently, "What?"

"I just meant that you don't have to feel obligated to follow me," Keith said, seemingly amused by Lance's short rant. "But I won't stop you if you want to."

"And you just let me go on like that?" Lance grumbled, his embarrassment taking the form of a slight blush on his cheeks.

"We don't have much time, so we should go," Keith changed the subject, and yet, despite his words, he walked towards Lance rather then to the door. He allowed himself to lose a moment of time getting spellbound in the ocean blue of Lance's eyes. The calmness was something he desperately needed before heading back into the madness just outside the room where they would soon be returning to, uncertain of what fate would have in store for them.

And then, his gaze wavered just slightly, lowering to Lance's lips briefly before he caught himself and looked back at his eyes. But it was too late, Lance had taken notice and smiled, subtly inching closer. Just beneath them, Lance linked his fingers with Keith's playfully, their hands fiddling around for only a few seconds before finally finding a comfortable, and firm position. Keith took a step forward, his free hand placed lightly on Lance's hip so as to avoid the arrow that remained in his shoulder. In return, Lance brought his free hand up, and using a gentle finger, cupped Keith's chin, slowly raising his head upward.

Keith would then be the first to lean in and initiate the kiss. He was at first hesitant and frigid, having not kissed the boy in over a year, and yet, when Lance returned the gesture with sweet softness, he could feel himself melt beneath it, quickly becoming more comfortable with deepening it.

It just felt so right. Just as right as it had felt the first time, and then the second time, and again, the third time when they sat in Lance's truck, kissing beneath the trickling moonlight, with the ocean waves as their soundtrack. Keith felt as if his heart was still there in that moment, as if no time had passed at all, like it were just yesterday, or the day before. 

The pull away was the most difficult part, because Keith knew that he couldn't allow himself to get too caught up in the moment, and that he would have to let things end there for now. Maybe forever. He didn't know.

"Before we head back out there- maybe it'll be my last chance to say this, so," Keith said, "I think I like you, too. I don't know. I've never 'liked' someone before so I guess that must be what this is, yeah,"

Despite the unconventional confession, Lance laughed, "Yeah, for real?" he asked, and when Keith nodded, he laughed again, and added, "I really like you too, Keith."

"I'm glad," Their hands still linked together, Keith swayed them gently at his side with a smile. "Now, lets go kill this guy." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was more of a light, shorter chapter to help ease into the following drama so I hope you all liked! Lots of love in this chapter which wasn't originally planned but the hearts wants what the heart wants! Thanks to everyone who has supported this story so far, you're all amazing!!


	10. Moral Dilemma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After heading to battle Dai Bazaal on their own, Keith and Lance are faced with a difficult decision that they must make alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final battle ran a little longer than expected, so to make it a little easier to bite off, I'm going to split it into a few different smaller chapters. Luckily, I've already written most of it, so the next one should be up by tomorrow! I hope you enjoy!

The drop in temperature between the hallway and the far bedroom was significantly noticeable. Keith tightly gritted his teeth together while taking his first cautious steps inside, Lance close to follow suit behind him.

The back of Dai Bazaal's figure was in plain sight even before they had stepped into the room, an unfortunate sign that he was quickly gaining power, and would soon be unstoppable. As Allura had warned them, things could only get worse if he manifested a physical form, and now, there he was, doing just that. 

A whirlwind of dust surrounded the man, spinning around him as if the scene were played out in slow motion. Though his figure wasn't fully solid just yet, the intricate contours of his face and body could be seen, leaving no doubt whatsoever that the man truly was Dai Bazaal himself.

It had been so long since Keith had seen the man, and he had been so little at the time, that the Dai Bazaal that appeared in his nightmares was often just a large, hulking monster that took the place of a face he had long forgotten. But seeing him there before him in the flesh once more caused a flood of unfortunate memories and visuals to return to Keith's mind. 

Only then did he re-visualize the expression that the man had worn while choking him mid-air, twisting his foot on the bloodied corpse of his father: _one tremendous grin, spanning from ear-to-ear, a large dimple appearing in each cheek as he did so. His clothing remained coated in darkened red blood stains from his previously-slain victims, partially dried, but some still fresh. He smelled of rust, cigarette smoke, and a hint of alcohol wafted from his breath as he spoke._

Though the same scent was no longer present, the visual of the past remained strong, and Keith could almost swear that there was the subtlety of cheap alcohol in the air.

The clouds of dust surrounding Dai Bazaal began a slow dispersion, glittering in the inklings of light and then fading into nothingness after drifting away from his body. His form was as muscularly broad as it had been in life, and his height just as grand, yet the vague transparency of his body remained the only bit of hope toward defeating him. So long as his body remained in the state of half-spirit, half-human, he could no longer rely on possession as a tactic, yet spirit weapons would still have a lasting effect on him. Somehow, Keith understood this without needing an explanation from either Allura or Coran. Just one look at the man was all it took for him to know exactly what needed to be done.

Slowly, Dai Bazaal began to turn his head towards the boys, his face wearing the same malicious smile that Keith recalled so very well. No longer would Keith allow fear to possess him the way it had in the past. In the words of Lance, he would claim that fear and not allow it to consume him, he would use it in a way that caused him to think critically with caution. Despite his fears and worries, he would finish what needed to end, and erase the cause of his fear from the face of the earth for good.

Before anybody could gather what was about to happen, himself included, Keith formed the sword from his bayard, his entire body plunging forward in rapid speed toward Dai Bazaal. He swiftly swung the sword in a horizontal motion, hoping that by some odd stroke of luck he would be able to end things with a single well-timed hit. He felt the tip of his sword make fleeting contact with flesh, but it was short lived. As his feet promptly landed on the ground, the image of Dai Bazaal had already vanished before his very eyes, the tip of his sword dripping with a thin line of blood.

"Quick, quick, Kogane." The deep, taunting voice spoke in a sing-song manner. "If only your father moved with such legerity." 

Keith's line of vision followed the direction of the man's voice, which remained within the room, standing just where Keith had been only seconds before. Lance's eyes had widened in disbelief at how rapidly the half-formed man had appeared before him, allowing him to get a good look at his face for the very first time in his life, his sinister expression chilling to the bone.

"Lance McClain, I don't believe we've formally met," Dai Bazaal spoke, his casual tone a clear mockery as he held a hand forward, a laugh beneath his tone as he continued, "Unless you regard me kicking your ass last night as a first meeting."

With his extended hand, Dai Bazaal gave Lance no time to react as he gripped tightly onto the arrow still planted firmly in the boys shoulder, promptly tearing it out of place as if he were simply revving the engine of a lawnmower. Lance's screams of pain were cut short as Dai Bazaal wrapped a large hand around his mouth, pressing the tip of the arrow against his throat with the looming threat to puncture his skin at any time that he so pleased. "You'll remain quiet for now." he commanded.

Flashes of red began to appear in Keith's vision, his body warming with pure, raw anger alone. "What are you trying to accomplish here?" he grunted, the tightened knuckles surrounding the hilt of his sword quickly becoming white. 

"Ultimately?" Dai Bazaal asked, "Of course that would be to kill you, but before I gain my full body back, I'd like to have my fun, too." 

"He has nothing to do with any of this," Keith spoke slowly, so as to not completely lose himself to his anger and make a poor decision as a result. "Just let him go, and we'll settle this between the two of us."

Dai Bazaal laughed. "You should know from experience that I'll take down whoever I please, regardless of relevance."

"And you should know," Keith slowly exhaled, "that that doesn't end well for you."

"It doesn't matter what fancy equipment you are equipped with, or what amount of powders or candles you come at me with, just know that I have the power here. I will always come out stronger." As he said this, Dai Bazaal's grip on Lance's mouth became tighter, causing the boy to shut his eyes in repressed pain, a trickle of blood running from his bottom lip that he had been tightly biting down on to suppress his need to scream out in agony.

Keith's eye twitched at the sight, yet he could not act out irrationally. The world around him was now visible only in a filter of bright red, the anger in him filling like an over-blown balloon ready to burst with each coming breath.

"Ten years ago," Keith spoke slowly, the forced calmness of his voice caused it to tremble slightly, "you died out of sheer dumb luck, at the hands of a child. And that pisses you off to no end. You wanted fame, power, and instead, you died because of a nine year old boy, and some little toy car misplaced on the floor of his messy room. Even in the afterlife, you can't handle what an embarrassing end it was, so you continue to lash out, trying to establish some sense of power because you don't want to be remembered as the man who was killed by some little kid. But it doesn't matter what you do now. You're still just as pathetic now as you were then."

" **Do not forget,** " Dai Bazaal's voice had risen, his grip once again tightening "what would have happened to you if you hadn't gotten away due to that _dumb luck._ "

As the two spoke, Lance strained to open his guarded mouth, the open cut on his bottom lip chafing against the rough palm of Dai Bazaal's hand, causing the abrasion to deepen. He extended his lower jaw, and then, with all the force of his repressed pain, clamped his teeth around Dai Bazaal's two lower fingers until he heard a cracking, and felt warm blood began to ooze into his mouth. As Dai Bazaal cursed in pain, retracting his injured hand, Lance spat the pool of blood onto the floor.

"Keith, just strike us both down at once," Lance spoke with a pain-worn voice. "If it's for the greater good, I don't care about dying again."

"How very brave of you," Dai Bazaal could no longer contain the anger in his tone, now cutting a thin line across Lance's neck with the tip of the arrow. Though only shallow, it was enough to draw small trickles of blood. Lance swallowed beneath his gritted teeth, shutting his eyes tightly again.

"Just do it, Keith, come on! One hit and he's not your problem anymore."

"No!" Keith retorted, his tight grip on the sword's hilt easing slightly. "I'm not... I can't do that, Lance. You know how I feel. I could never do that."

The conversation between the two had officially piqued the interest of Dai Bazaal, whose eyebrows became raised at the mention of feelings. He wrapped his injured hand tightly around Lance's jaw, the two bleeding fingers dangling lifelessly, and the other hand continuing to threaten him with the arrow's tip.

"Oh, so you love him? Isn't that adorable? What a moral conundrum you're being faced with. You could either kill your _dead boyfriend_ yourself, so long as it means getting rid of me, or you could allow him to slowly suffer by my hands so that you don't have to do it yourself. Which will it be?"

"Uggghh, shut your ugly mug already." Lance grumbled, "Keith, just go for it, it'll be so quick I won't even feel a thing. Please, you've gotta do this, it's the only way."

"No, Lance." Keith furrowed his eyebrows, shaking his head rapidly. "No. I'm not doing that."

"Look, Keith," Lance took a deep breath, fighting through the sharp throbbing pain in his wounds. "I'm already dead, and I've said everything that I needed to. I'm not gonna be leaving any regrets behind, especially if I know that you're the one ending it all. If it means that this old fucker is coming down with me, then I'll happily die. I love you, man. You can do this."

A deep heat began to burn Keith's face, though this time it belonged to neither anger nor fluster. Rather, it was the result of an overwhelming sadness that he didn't often feel. Hot tears filled his eyes to the brim until they were pouring out and running in silence down his cheeks. There was no stopping it so he didn't bother to wipe them away. "That's not fair. You can't just say that to me and expect me to be okay with any of this."

"I'm-- I'm already dead anyway, so, y'know..." Lance's voice drifted off, his eyebrows now sunken in despair at the sight of Keith's tears. He was at a loss for what else to say or do.

"I said no! I'm not doing that! I'm not!" Keith shook his head again, his thoughts moving at a mile a minute trying to figure out what to do next. Not even the slightest clue was appearing in his mind. He wanted to scream out in desperate frustration. If he wasn't fast enough then Lance would experience yet another painful death, but in the meantime, until he came up with _something,_ Lance was burdening an intense pain that only grew with each passing second.

"You better decide quickly, Kogane," Dai Bazaal threatened, his tone practically gleeful at the imminent torture he was causing both boys. "You're wasting precious time-" 

"Lance, duck!" A woman's voice put a stop to Dai Bazaal's taunts, but before she came into sight, a strident thud could be heard, and the body of Dai Bazaal was sent hurling across the room.

Behind where he had stood was Allura, whose right hand was glowing bright pink in the shape of a boxers glove. "Wow, my bayard is pretty cool! I've never been able to use it like this!"

Following suit shortly behind her was Takashi, who let out a long sigh of relief upon seeing that the two boys were still alive, his desire to lecture them both instantly washing away after reading the mood of the room.

Lance took the distraction as a chance to disappear briefly, and then, just as quickly, he reappeared in front of Keith, his arms tightly wrapped around the boys waist. "Jesus Christ, that was so fuckin' scary!" he whined.

In stunned silence, Keith wrapped his arms around Lance's shoulders, careful not to press against his gushing wound as he squished his cheek against his. "Why didn't you do that before? I mean, the disappearing thing?" 

"I tried to, believe me," Lance explained, "It wasn't working. I couldn't do it." He pulled away from the hug, and raised his hands up to cup Keith's cheeks, rubbing away his fallen tears with his thumbs before he quickly pressed his lips against his for a brief kiss. "I'm sorry I put all that pressure on you."

Keith sighed out, pressing his forehead against Lance's, "It's fine, you're okay now. Lets not part anymore, so that he can't pull anything like that again." Keith replied, to which Lance smiled and nodded.

"It looks like we barely made it in time," Takashi said, his eyes glued to Dai Bazaal, who remained laying on the floor. He knew that there was no way a single punch could have taken him out. It was clearly to catch them off guard. "Are the two of you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so." Keith answered, "Thanks, you guys, for showing up when you did."

"You couldn't imagine our panic when we looked up to find you both and were informed by Coran that Lance was near Dai Bazaal." Allura said. "We should all be sticking together. We never know what will happen next."

"Yeah, sorry, we will now." Lance said, giving a solid nod, and then, he turned his attention to the motionless body of Dai Bazaal. "He's not... dead now, is he?"

"No," Takashi answered quickly. "He's faking. So don't drop your guards."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all enjoying this wild ride so far! Let me know how you're all feeling, and I'll see ya again soon!


	11. Battle Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama after drama causes high tension, and then Keith and Takashi are shown a peculiar sight. Followed by more drama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before this chapter is read, I just want to assure everyone not too worry too much about the end of this chapter! It's not the end quite yet, hope is yet to come!

As if on cue, a rumble of thunder roared above the household, the velocity sending the roof into a shaking fit. The darkened sky made it appear as if it were the middle of the night, despite being day, and the raindrops pelting against the windows sounded more like rocks as they made harsh contact with the glass. The only lights within the room came from the few glowing bits of the armoured suits worn by Takashi, Allura, and Keith, casting faint glows on their surroundings at best. A glaring bolt of lightning just outside the window revealed Dai Bazaal's standing figure.

"You're not getting away from us this time." Takashi threatened in a low voice.

Dai Bazaal laughed. "I don't intend to. It would be rather hard to kill all of you at a distance."

In a matter of seconds, Takashi had transfigured his bayard, and in it's place, a bludgeon with a long handle appeared. Despite it's hefty looking appearance, it felt light and comfortable in his hands, and swung with more ease than any bludgeon in reality ever could. To get a good feel for it, he wasted no time in taking a long step forward while simultaneously swinging it at Dai Bazaal, the blunt instrument penetrating his shoulder with one of it's sharp blades. While Dai Bazaal recoiled in the pain, Allura used it as her own opportunity to charge forward, and struck the man in the gut with her boxing glove, which then caused him to be sent back a few inches, the spikes of the bludgeon digging their way out of his flesh as he slid.

Droplets of blood disappeared as they splattered onto the darkened floor. Dai Bazaal stood to his feet with shaky steps, the unsteadiness of the house matching his unstable steps. The glimmers in his eyes shone brightly, like a wild animal caught in the headlights, with nowhere left to run. Yet somehow, his demeanour did not suggest that he felt cornered or outsmarted, only that that was the image he was attempting to convey. It was too early to assume that they had the upperhand, even if they had the spirit heavily outnumbered.

Again, Dai Bazaal's deep laughter filled the room, his posture straightening as he gripped onto his wounded shoulder, his fingers digging into the deep gashes. "Your move now, Kogane." the man uttered.

Keith furrowed his eyebrows, knowing better than to follow the taunts of the ghoul, but before he could object, Takashi was already making his next move.

" **Don't,** " was all that his older brother had said as he began to swing his bludgeon forward, a deep anger expressed clearly on his face.

The next part all happened so quickly that it was difficult, even as they lived throughout the moment themselves, to piece together what exactly had occurred.

Takashi's strike on Dai Bazaal had made brief contact with his back before he disappeared, reappearing in front of Allura, who attempted to punch him squarely in the face, but she missed as he once again vanished. After that, Dai Bazaal appeared before Keith, and by then, the boy had taken note of the pattern and had his sword at the ready. Takashi, still by the window where Dai Bazaal originally was, planned a surprise attack from behind, but was one step behind, as Dai Bazaal vanished once more, causing Takashi's and Keith's weapons to clash, and narrowly miss Lance by a very small margin.

The pelting rain against the window had grown into a harsh storm of hail, now banging against the window with force strong enough to start some thin cracks. The roars of thunder lasted for longer, and longer, until eventually, there were no pauses in between. The roof of the house continued to vibrate along with the storm, nearly resembling an earthquake as it fastened in pace.

"Where did he go, Coran? We've lost track of him," Allura said into her microphone. There was no immediate response. "Coran? Can we get a location on the spirit?"

There was the sound of laboured breathing on the other side of the microphone, and Allura immediately felt her heart stop. "Please respond. Coran? Hello?"

But before any more could be said, Allura made a dash for the door, her sights set only on the living room down the hallway. Unfortunately, she would not make it there. As she attempted to exit the room, a thick barrier appeared and an electric jolt went coursing through her body, which sent her flying back. Takashi, Keith, and Lance hurried to her side, where they helped her to her feet. Once more, she hurried to the door, but this time she didn't cross the line of the doorway. Instead, she stood by the entrance and peered into the hallway to catch what little glimpse of the living room that she could.

"Coran, are you there?" Takashi asked this time, speaking loudly into the microphone. The laboured breathes continued. "A grunt, something, anything."

"M-My apologies," Coran finally responded, his voice exerted. "He's... He's in here, I'm fighting him off the best that I can,"

Allura covered her mouth with her hands, "We can't get through the doorway, it's blocked by a barrier."

There was a grunt on the other side of the microphone, and Allura could hardly handle it any longer, as she began to bang her fists against the barrier, a small jolt causing pain to each hand as she struck it. "Please, Coran, try to make your way over here! Lead him to us! You must!"

"I'm sorry b-but I can't do that, I can't abandon Adam," Coran responded.

The room went silent, save for a few quiet grunts from Allura, her banging fists unable to make a difference against the door's barrier. Vague sounds of battle could be heard from the other side of the microphone, but no more words were spoken. The situation was far from being in Coran's favour, and it was clear even from a distance. Each time he groaned in pain, or there was a sudden crash, the entire room grimaced in unison, filled with the dreadful anxiety that there were unable to do anything useful for the man.

"I'm gonna try to go out there and help him," Lance said, looking to the others. "It doesn't sound like it's going well, he needs more people on his side."

"Will it work this time? Your vanishing?" Keith asked.

Lance nodded. "I think so. I have to try at least. It might be our only hope at helping him."

"I think it's a good idea," Takashi said. "You might be able to drop Dai Bazaal's guard enough to lower the power of this barrier, and then we could get through and help as well."

Allura ceased banging her fists any long, her attention now turned to Lance. "Please, Lance. You may be able to save him!"

The support of his teammates was all Lance had needed to feel secure in his decision. He grinned largely and gave a thumbs up, "If anyone can do it, it's this guy! I'm gonna flip this situation around in no time, just you wait!"

Reaching forward, Keith held onto Lance's hand before giving it a tight squeeze, "Don't die."

"I will, I promise," Lance joked as he gave a firm nod, and then, in mock salute to his friends, he disappeared into thin air.

There was nothing left for the remaining three to do but to listen to what took place outside the room. Even the passing of a single moment had felt impossibly long given the circumstances. The microphone was only picking up occasional grunts and mumbles, but nothing was clear, and a thick static began to override the majority of the sound waves. Spoken words were no longer being picked up clearly, so there was no telling if what was happening was good or bad. Once again, the situation felt utterly hopeless.

"It's like a game of cat and mouse, it's dreadfully frustrating," Allura closed her eyes, tears forming in the corners, "No matter what we do... No matter what... We can't get ahead of him."

"We'll figure it out," Takashi said, his tone patient and soft, despite his own worries. "We can't give up hope just yet." 

Keith closed his eyes, and pressed his forehead against the wall of the bedroom, which felt oddly cold and damp against the warmth of his skin. _Please, by some dumb stroke of luck, let them end up alright. Please. We need dumb luck-- or the devils luck, whatever, it doesn't matter._ And then, as a trickle of water ran down Keith's forehead and down the tip of his nose, his eyes shot wide-open and he took a few steps back. Allura and Takashi eyed him with curousity, but even he had no idea what he was about to do next. It was as if his body had crafted a plan of it's own, and he simply had to trust it's instinct.

With his right arm protectively covering his chest, Keith began to charge forward, and didn't stop running until he made contact with the wall, which then began to crack at the point in which it had felt cold and damp. Within a matter of seconds, he was tumbling into the next room over, which happened to be his old bedroom. Large clumps of hail had completely obliterated what little was left of the room, and it was in even worse shape than it had been before. But he had no time to look around. He quickly rolled out of the pile of debris, and though it felt odd- he thanked his lucky stars for the water damage in the walls caused by the storm.

Takashi and Allura had taken Keith's lead, exiting the room via the hole in the wall, and were close behind his trail.

"Amazing job, Keith," Takashi briefly praised him before he extended his hand outward, helping the boy stand and find his footing.

"Thanks," Keith said, while brushing the dirt from his suit. He then retrieved his bayard from the ground where he had lost his grip on it during his fall, and held it at his side again. "Are you guys ready to head in there?"

Allura and Takashi both nodded in agreement. The group wasted no time in hurrying out of the doorway, and into the main room where a dramatic scene played out.

In the center of the room, Dai Bazaal stood at the center of the pentagram. Lance had taken over Coran's bayard, a rather short knife that meant fighting had to remain at a close-range, and was fighting Dai Bazaal off with it. Coran had accepted an order from Lance to guard Adam's body with hesitance, but as his own body was in poor fighting shape, he had no choice but to comply for the best of the team.

Allura rushed to Coran's side, wrapping an arm around the man's shoulder as she inspected the fresh wounds on his face. "I'm so sorry, Coran," she mumbled, tears spilling down her cheeks, "I should have stayed by your side."

"It's quite alright," Coran said, concealing a grunt as Allura pressed down on a soon-to-be bruise forming on his cheekbone, "I only wish I could do more."

"You do more than enough already," Allura assured him, "None of this would be possible without you!"

"Right," Coran responded, "And look at how swimmingly it's all going along!"

"Oh, you know what I mean, I don't have time to get into the technicalities." Allura retorted, playfully poking the tip of the man's nose. Coran was like a second father to her, and though it pained her to see him so battered and beaten, she would have to wait until later to get him the medical attention that he needed.

Meanwhile, Takashi and Keith had begun to aid Lance in his fight against Dai Bazaal. Between the three of them, they had managed to get a few good hits on the man, his movements beginning to slow down to a more sluggish pace. He appeared to be having more difficulty with the act of constantly disappearing and reappearing, and could only do it once every few moments, which left a large margin of time for attacks.

A large creaking in the roof above put the fight at a temporary stand-still while attention was instead diverted upwards. Dai Bazaal chuckled to himself, his previous exasperation seemingly gone. He received an eye of suspicion from Takashi, but ultimately, he was ignored for the time being.

It wasn't any usual creak, it was a very worrisome one, the kind that sounded destructive and dangerous. As the cracking deepened, Takashi took a hold of Keith's arm and pulled him back just as a bolt of lightning penetrated the roof, and struck the center of the pentagram where Dai Bazaal stood. The entire room became lost in it's blinding light, all visibility and sense of direction lost.

Keith had tightly shut his eyes out of instinct, his hand gripped tightly against the hand that Takashi had pulled his arm back with, so that nothing could possibly separate them amidst the confusion. Only afterwards, as the bolt of lightning's power had lessened, and the room's light had dimmed along with it, would the two loosen their grips on each other. It would take a few moments for their eyes to adjust, sparks of white still clouding their vision over.

And then, as the layout of the house slowly came back into sight, they had realized that they were completely alone, and that everything in the room had changed.

The room was brightened by sparkling daylight trickling in through the windows. The furniture no longer spread across the room, all appearing to be brand-new and in fine condition. A steaming cup of coffee sat on the tabletop, filling the air with it's fine aroma. An opened newspaper messily sprawled beside it was dated:

**August 5th, 2000.**

Takashi had glanced at the front page of the newspaper, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He reached forward to grab it, but his hand completely went through the table instead, which resulted in a shared look of confusion between the two brothers. Yet, before any words could be spoken, music by the Spice Girls began to blare loudly throughout the house. From the far hallway entered a younger-looking Dallas, his hair large and voluminous, and his style of clothing resembling heavily outdated fashion from the late eighties. In his arms he carried a small baby boy with a head full of thick, black hair. He was clapping his hands along to the music while giggling enthusiastically, his cheeks pink with excitement.

" _~I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want,~_ " Dallas sang along to the lyrics, his voice shrill and off-key. He pointed to the baby for the following lyric, though of course there was no response. "You really love this dumb song, dont'cha, buddy?"

As Dallas descended down the hallway, Keith and Takashi kept their eyes peeled to him in utter disbelief, not stopping until he took a seat on the couch, balancing the baby on his knee with a few bounces to keep him entertained.

"Dad?" Takashi had asked, to no avail. His words had gone completely unheard to the man. He and Keith shared another look as if to ask each other what they should do next.

Dallas continued to hum along to the song, singing along only when he could recall the odd lyric here and there. The baby continued to clap his hands, wiggling his tiny body to the music.

" _~Now don't go wasting my precious time, get your act together we could be just fine,~_ "

The doorbell rang, and Dallas sighed, "Should I go get that or should I pretend I'm not home?"

The baby formed a small 'o' with his mouth while smacking his cheeks, offering no words of advice.

"Yeah, good point," Dallas jokingly responded, "They probably heard the music and came over to party, huh?"

Dallas stood from the couch, and placed the baby in a small playpen just a few feet away. Instantly, the baby shot his hands up in the air, demanding to be held again, but Dallas simply ruffled his hair before walking over to answer the door.

On the other side of the door stood yet another familiar face, this time belonging to a younger Dai Bazaal. His features were much softer and less grizzled, yet his height and build were still just as massive. Instantly, Dallas' bright mood had soured.

"Listen," Dallas said, not giving the man a chance to greet him first, "I told you that you can't be coming around here anymore."

"That's the greeting an old friend gets?" Dai Bazaal's tone, on contrary to Dallas', was light and almost joke-like.

Dallas scoffed. "You've got a lot of nerve even saying that."

"I had good news for you, then," Dai Bazaal said, now more serious. "This is the last time you'll be seeing me. I just wanted to give a proper farewell."

"So this isn't another plea for me to rejoin the 'business'?" Dallas asked, his fingers created quotation marks in the air as he said the last word.

"Not unless you've changed your mind."

Dallas sighed sadly. "I never will. Not anymore. Dai, I've got little kids. You saw what happened to Krolia when she got pinned for all of your crimes."

With a raised eyebrow, Dai Bazaal corrected, " _Our_ crimes."

Dallas gritted his teeth, shooting the man a dirty look. "I can't let my kids grow up without any parents. Listen... I'm sorry for the way things turned out. Every day I regret it all- especially with Krolia gettin' all the heat for it."

"She chose to go down alone." Dai Bazaal's opinion was seamlessly unwavering. 

"I **ain't** done talking," Dallas hissed, "When we did all that dealing stuff, we were just dumb kids not thinking how it'd effect other people. None of us could've ever guessed it'd blow up like that. But my kids... Man, I've never loved anyone the way I love them. I can't be a bad dad- not anymore. Alfor and Orla are the same way, man. We're all parents now just tryin' to make the best for our kids."

Dai Bazaal stared beyond Dallas, his eyes falling upon the baby in the play pen, who stared at the two men talking with eager curiousity. "So this one... This is the one Krolia was pregnant with?"

Dallas stepped to the side, blocking Dai Bazaal's view of the child. "Yeah... But you know that she doesn't want you being part of his life."

At this, Dai Bazaal remained quiet, his stare long and forlorn, which then caused Dallas to feel a pang of guilt.

"His name is Keith. He's ten months old now."

"Keith..." Dai Bazaal repeated, under his breath.

"He looks just like her, don't he?" Dallas couldn't stop a small smile from creeping onto his face which then faded as he continued, "Breaks my heart every day, y'know? Thinking back on everything..."

"You never told me exactly what happened that day."

Dallas sighed, his posture loosening. "She said that she couldn't bare the thought of her only kid growing up with a mother in prison, and she was scared of what he might think of her if he knew," he began, his eyes focused on the floor, "She gave birth to him in prison of all places, but they let me stay there with her while it was happenin'. Right away, she hands him to me, we're both cryin' like mad, and she says to me..." he swallowed back, "she says, 'never tell him about any of this, please.' I said I wouldn't, then she says, 'And as long as I can't be a part of his life, you make sure Dai ain't goin' anywhere near him either.'"

Rather than feel any sympathy after hearing the sad story, Dai Bazaal became offended, his eyebrows tightly knit in the center. "To think that my own sister would say such a thing."

In an instant, Dallas was snapped out of his sad funk, his fingers tightening against the door knob. "To think her own brother is the reason she's stuck in jail in the first place! Framing her for all of your nasty drug crimes. You oughta be the one rotting in jail right now, not her!"

Dai Bazaal's face became red with anger, his arms flailing in all directions as he spoke, "This child is the only family I've got left, and the two of you want to take that away from me?!"

"Do you even know how ridiculous you sound?!" Dallas bellowed, "You have no right to see him! **His own mother** can't even see him!"

"She's the one who took the sentence alone! She could have dropped all of our names along with hers, but she decided to remain silent!"

Baby Keith began to sob loudly from within the house, the yelling between the two men having startled him to tears. Dallas glanced back quickly, then returned his glare to Dai Bazaal. "Get the hell off of my property, and never show your face around here again."

Dai Bazaal inhaled sharply, his eyes narrowing. "You're making a mistake, Dallas."

"Just give it up, Dai. This is a chance for all of us to start over. Alfor, Orla, and I all have. When will you?"

With a scoff, he replied, "You're wrong. Things will never be 'normal' again." He turned his back, and bid his last words goodbye, "Farwell, Dallas... Keith." 

Dallas gripped the edge of the door with his hand, and slammed it shut forcefully.

Keith blinked tightly as he recoiled from the loud noise, and as he opened his eyes, the room had changed yet again.

This time, the room was dimmer but still in fine condition, and Takashi no longer stood by his side. He shot rapid glances around the room, until two firm hands planted themselves on his cheeks and steadied him.

"Woah there, buddy, gonna give yourself whiplash with all that fast moving."

As Keith's vision focused, adjusting to the difference in lighting, he recognized the man before him as Dallas once more. Though this time he was much older than he had appeared only moments ago- his hair much thinner with a short-cut style, and a light stubble across his chin and cheeks. His clothing was more worn out and less tragically outdated. In short, he looked exactly as he had during his last years of life.

"You can..." Keith hesitated to speak, blinking quickly to ensure his eyes weren't deceiving him. "You can see me? You're really there?"

"Real as ever, kiddo. I've missed you more than you could ever imagine." Dallas said, grinning and pressing his forehead against his. "You're all grown up now, I can't believe it."

Keith couldn't speak, a lump forming in his throat as he stared at the man's face, soaking in all of the features he had regrettably forgotten over the years.

"I ain't got much time to speak to ya, so I gotta make this quick," Dallas said, stroking his hair gently before pulling him into a hug that was instantly returned. "I wish I could've shown up sooner, but I knew it'd just be more danger to you boys."

"So it really is you? You're really here?" Keith asked.

Dallas laughed, "Yeah, it's me."

Keith smiled vaguely, though still not sure if he truly believed his eyes. "And what we saw just now was..?"

"I showed it to ya. I just want you to understand everything I never could've told you while I was alive. Everything from why your mom wasn't around, to why Dai Bazaal lost his shit and killed so many people."

"Yeah, it's all piecing together now..." Keith slowly pulled away from the hug. "But how would you showing up sooner have been a danger to us?"

"I knew it'd just make Dai Bazaal all the more pissed off, and lord knows what he's capable of now that his powers go beyond human ability," Dallas explained, cupping Keith's cheek in his hand. "You really do look just like your mom, y'know? Go on an' meet her once all this is over."

Keith nodded his head slowly. "I don't know if we'll even make it out of this." he confessed. "And where'd Taka go?"

"You will, bud, believe me, I'm gonna make sure of it." Dallas reaffirmed, "I can't say I know for sure, but I think Dai Bazaal is catchin' on to what's happen' here and pulled him out of it."

"So that's why you said you don't have much time to speak to us..." Keith said, slowly. "Because he's going to realize that you're around."

"You got it," Dallas said, and then his tone softened as he continued, "Listen, before I let you go, I just gotta say... I'm so sorry for everythin' you had to go through 'cause of some bad choices your old man made. No kid deserves to go through what you have, and I just... can't express enough how sorry I am, and how much I wish I could've changed for you. I love ya so much, Keith. You're the bravest kid I've ever known, and I'm so proud of who you've grown up to be."

Keith's eyes burned with the threat of tears but he managed to choke them back as he smiled to his father, "Thanks, dad. I love you, too. Will I ever be able to see you again?"

Dallas shrugged his shoulders, "I'm afraid I don't know about that, but one day, I hope. Let your brother know that I love him, too. And that he did a great job takin' care of ya in my absence."

"I will," Keith said, taking a heavy breath. "We'll kill Dai Bazaal for sure this time. We'll avenge you no matter what it costs."

Dallas grinned in amusement, ruffling his sons hair with his hand. "Just keep a clear mind, bud, and stay safe."

The room then faded away into a cloud of mist, and Dallas was visible no longer. A dead silence filled the air, with only the soft pattering of rain left to be heard. The air was a deep beige, and very slowly the dust began to disperse.

Raindrops hitting the top of Keith's head had garnered his attention, making him look upward into the night sky. He squinted his eyes upon realizing that there was no roof above him, or no walls surrounding him.

"Hello?" Keith called out, growing tired with the events of the night. "If this is another flashback, can we hurry it up?"

In the near distance, two eyes began to glow amidst the darkness. It took moments for the figure to become fully visible, but it was evident from the beginning that the form belonged to Dai Bazaal.

Keith glanced around him, his feet fumbling on uneven ground. Surrounding him was pure wreckage, with few pieces of furniture visible beneath it. He quickly deduced that this wreckage could mean only one thing: His house had become fully destroyed during the time that he had been gone with his father.

Yet, he still couldn't determine where everybody else had gone in the meantime. There were many possibilities, endless really, given everything that had happened. But he knew the most likely of all, and it was one that he didn't want to think of. Not yet.

As his eyes adjusted to his surrounding, he could see the Golion amongst the wreckage, it's three screens all shattered to bits, leaving only the podium standing on it's own. The majority of the couch was covered in bits of roof and shingles, and beneath it, what appeared to be a human arm hung over the side. Glimmering in the bit of light was an engagement ring, still intact on the second last finger.

Increase of visibility brought about a lot of sights that Keith didn't wish to see, but he kept his mind clear, his goal clearly set in front of him.

Dai Bazaal stood amongst the wreckage, and at his feet, Takashi laid motionless in a pool of blood. The man stepped over his body, his bare feet tracking the blood with each step he took. His steps were heavy and forceful, and his body appeared clearly.

Keith understood what was going on, but he didn't dare think about it too deeply. _Everything will be fine. Everything will be okay. He could just be messing with you. Keep a clear mind._ But he knew, all too well, that reality was a harsh thing, and the reality that stood before him was just miserable enough to be happening to him.

Everyone was now dead, somehow having lost their life's in their final battle, and the only two that remained living were him and Dai Bazaal. It all made sense. As Dai killed more and more in his afterlife, he gained more life himself.

As things stood, Dai Bazaal was once again a living and breathing human. Spirit weapons would not work against the living, and there was nobody left to turn to. Keith recognized that there was a huge chance that he himself was about to die as well, and he closed his eyes, breathing deeply, as he accepted this fate.

Everyone he loved and cared about was dead, and any chance he had of surviving had rapidly vanished in the blink of an eye. The supernatural existed, he now knew this well, so perhaps dying wouldn't be such a bad thing, after all.

As morbid thoughts danced around in Keith's head, filling him with a simultaneous anxiety and comfort, he felt something firm press against the palm of his hand. Opening his eyes, he glanced down and saw that the glock 19 semi-automatic pistol that he had kept around since he was child, now sat in his hand. A pair of familiar hands wrapped around his, helping him get a good grip on the trigger. Slowly, his arm was raised.

Behind him stood Lance, though he didn't have to look back to know that it was him. His breath was heavy with pain, and exertion, and his hands rough with cuts and scrapes. Lance's grip was strongly steady, and along with Keith's clear resolve, the two had Dai Bazaal right in their sights.

"Well, isn't this just adorable?" Dai Bazaal laughed, halting in his steps a mere few feet away from the boys. "But as you now know, Keith, we're the only family that each other have remaining. Lets put this all behind us, why don't we? Start anew, and really get that close family bond that we've been denied for so long."

With no hesitation, Keith squeezed on the trigger, and sent a bullet flying through the air in Dai Bazaal's direction. It hit him squarely on the chest. And then, another shot was fired, this time hitting his shoulder. And another, in his head. And another, in his chest. And another, in his stomach.

Approximately four shots had been fired by the time Dai Bazaal fell dead to the ground. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there it is! The end of the battle.... Or is it? Nah, it pretty much is. Don't sweat the end too much! Like I said, there's still another chapter, and hope is yet to come. Not everything is quite what it seems!


	12. Goodbye Cosmos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now on their own, Lance and Keith try to figure out what to do next in this cold and lonely world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it, the final chapter of Cosmos is here! I'll say this now before the story begins, the end notes are very important to read **after** you've finished this chapter! Thank you so much for sticking through this story for this long, it means a lot to me and I've loved every comment, kudos, and subscribe!

After the last shot had been fired, Lance lowered Keith's arm back to his side, and let go of the gun. Keith's grip on it remained firm, his gaze unmoved from Dai Bazaal's lifeless corpse. Rain continued to pour, only now it's pace began to lessen.

"Hey, you okay?" Lance asked, a hand perched upon Keith's shoulder. 

Keith ignored the question, instead asking his own. "All of this... It happened while I was gone? I missed this much? Everyone is..." 

Lance bit down on his lip, fighting back the tears that began to build up in his eyes. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Keith. It all happened so fast. He just kept getting stronger, and stronger, and then the whole house just gave out, and took everyone else down with it." 

Keith didn't respond, instead walking passed Lance, until he made his way to Dai Bazaal's corpse. He kicked the man's shoulder until he was laying on his back, his vacant eyes staring at the endless sky. He bent over, placing two fingers on his neck until he was absolutely certain that no pulse remained.

And then, Keith stood again, walking to the spot in which Takashi's motionless body remained. He sat down on the surrounding rubble, his legs bent beneath him, and again, he checked for a pulse. Time passed and not a single beat was to be felt. Only the sounds of the rain, and Lance's open sobs were to be heard. 

"K-Keith, I'm sorry, h-he's gone... They're all gone."

Keith cupped Takashi's face in his hand, wiping spots of blood from his cheek and forehead. He moved his hand along his forehead, brushing aside the wet, messy fringe that covered his eyes. And then he stared, for some time, into his barren eyes.

"T-Takashi, no," Keith mumbled, his expression all at once sinking as he knew there was nothing left that he could do. "Taka, please, you're my brother, I still need you. Come on... Taka, please!"

At some point, Lance had joined Keith's side and wrapped a snug arm around him. Keith allowed his body to sink against Lance's, tears beginning to spill rapidly down his reddened cheeks, several sobs escaping his throat. He slid his arms around Lance, grasping the back of his shirt with his hands, while hiding his face in the boy's unharmed shoulder. Lance gripped him back just as tightly, unable to contain his own sobs.

Lance continued to mumble several apologies over and over, but Keith was beyond hearing, and certainly in no condition to offer any re-assuring words in return. Rain beat down on both of them, though it's intensity was so light that it was hardly noticeable. It felt as if no other people in the world remained, and so, Lance and Keith clung to each other as closely as they could possibly manage.

"I was supposed to show up and help everyone," Keith eventually mumbled, sniffling between words, "It wasn't supposed to turn out like this."

"Hey, hey, look at me, Keith," Lance's voice was smooth as he pulled from the hug, took the other boys cheeks in his hands, and stared him deeply in the eyes. "Don't blame yourself for any of this. Everyone fought their hardest and did their best, but it was too much. All the fatigue and the crumbling of the house... Dai Bazaal didn't become fully human until all of them had died, and thank God you kept that gun around or else there would've been nothing else to use on him." 

Keith stayed quiet a moment as he stared into Lance's ocean blue eyes, a wave of calmness allowing him to catch his breath. "But what if he just comes back again? I don't want to live like this," as he spoke, he eyed the barrel of the gun.

Lance's blood instantly ran cold, his mind jumping to the worst of conclusions. "Woah, woah, you're not actually thinking of..."

Quickly, Keith shook his head, "No, no- I don't think I could. But... Honestly, before you showed up I was ready to just let myself die. It seemed pointless even trying anymore and everyone I know is...." his voice trailed off, as he hesitated to continue his sentence.

Lance's eyebrows sunk once more. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that," Keith stated, firmly. "It's not your fault, Lance."

Lance mustered a meek smile, and leaned down, gently kissing Keith's cheek. "I'm so glad you're okay. I was worried you might have disappeared forever," he whispered quietly beside his ear. 

Keith clasped Lance's hand in his own, resting the side of his head on the other boys shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay, too. Thanks for bringing the gun to me... and for keeping it steady. I would've missed those shots without you."

"I'm just glad that it actually worked."

Keith pressed his cheek further, closing his eyes to ignore the view of outdoor devastation that remained in sight. "Where do we even go from here? I have no family, no house..."

"I wish I knew..." Lance said, his grip on Keith's hand tightening, "But we'll figure it out together."

Keith took a deep breath, sighing quietly against Lance. 

But he didn't speak, something else had caught his attention before he had the chance to. The faintest noise, a bit of movement amongst the rubble, and a low grunt had come from behind the couch. It had quickly garnered Lance's attention as well, and the two pulled apart, the mutual curious looks shared between them confirming that they hadn't been alone in hearing it. They stood, cautiously still hand-in-hand, as they approached the source of the noise. 

From the back of the couch, and beneath some debris, were a pair of thin legs with pink lined armour that they instantly recognized as belonging to Allura. Extremely subtly, the legs moved with struggle, suggesting that the girl was still conscious, but unable to make any large movements. Quickly, Keith and Lance rushed to her side, and began to uncover the rest of her body from the wreckage.

"You're okay?!" Lance exclaimed, with both shock and relief. "I thought you died when the house crashed down!"

Allura grunted, slowly opening her eyes. "I thought so too, quite honestly.... Everything went blank for a moment there." With a helping hand from the boys, she was able to sit upright with only minor difficulty. "Everyone else is..?" she spoke very slowly, hesitant to reach the end of her question.

Keith and Lance looked at each other and then back at her. Their faces, from their forlorn expressions to the redness of their eyes, said enough for Allura to understand that the news wasn't at all good. She sighed sadly, a hand clutched over her chest as she processed the situation in her mind.

"But don't worry, Dai Bazaal is dead too. Keith shot him like, five times." Lance said, offering the only bit of consolation that he could. 

Allura was quick to shake her head in response. "No, no, that simply won't do," she stated, much to the surprise of the boys. She made a struggling attempt to stand, but was too fatigued to make it up on her own. Though Lance and Keith were quick to assist her, they didn't necessarily think it was a good idea, given her state.

"You should really be resting right now, Allura..." Lance said.

"Lead me to his body, please," was all that Allura said in response.

"Are you sure? It's a pretty gruesome sight." Keith stated.

To that, Allura raised an eyebrow, bemusedly so. "Do you truly think that I'm a stranger to such sights?"

Keith couldn't argue with her point, he knew all too well that Allura had seen many sorry sights in her short twenty-two years of life. "Good point."

With slow, tentative care, they brought Allura properly to her feet, and then led her to where Dai Bazaal's body remained. Allura let go of the boys hold, allowing herself to sink to the ground and ease into a proper sitting position. Even amongst the destruction of the world surrounding her, and the harsh wounds upon her own body, she carried herself with poise as she removed one of her earrings, and placed it upon Dai Bazaal's chest.

Lance and Keith didn't dare speak nor question what Allura was doing, but they were sure to keep close by incase anything bad should happen.

With a steady breath, Allura closed her eyes, and she chanted, "I bind your soul, Dai Bazaal... I bind it to my earring where you will spend eternity. No longer will you escape this body and do harm onto others. Your soul will become bound to this object, so long as it stays intact... I, Allura, bind your soul for eternity." 

The purple earring began to glow a bright red, and momentarily shook intensely, but the action was short-lived, and it ultimately stopped moving as it faded back to it's original purple hue. Allura retrieved the earring, and held it upward, against what little light there was. 

"Now, we can rest assured... He wont be coming back to do _this_ ever again."

Keith watched the scene play out with uncertainty. "You're sure this is going to work..?"

Allura nodded her head, and put the earring back in her ear. "So long as I keep it in good shape. I'll take it back to my house, and keep it heavily locked down... He won't be able to escape, believe me." 

"And that's safe? Wearing it again?"

"Of course. The material of this earring is quite strong. He won't be able to escape." Allura explained. A breeze caught the tip of the earring, causing it to sway slowly, though it didn't give off any type of sinister feeling. "Now... We have other matters to attend to, and we must act quickly. I don't have time to explain... Do the two of you trust me?"

"Huh?" Lance furrowed his brows. "Yeah, of course." 

Keith was more hesitant though, as he questioned, "What are you going to do?"

"I said I have no time to explain, but I need the two of you to help me or else I won't be able to do it on my own." Allura's tone was serious, and it was enough to make both Keith and Lance listen to her instructions without hesitation.

* * *

As per Allura's instructions, Keith and Lance collected the remaining corpses, having had to dig Adam and Coran out from beneath the debris, and laid them all out side by side in front of her. In the meantime, Allura had removed some of the more restricting parts of her armour, remaining in the black bodysuit she wore beneath it. She had also loosened her hair, allowing it to hang down comfortably down her back. She sat at the heads of the corpses, and shifted into a proper sitting position, staring at them with a sad look on her face.

Slowly, Allura finally began to talk. "Of course I've.... I've never done this before, and it's risky but... if I don't try then I could never live with myself. Coran is like a second father to me, I love him dearly. And I know that Takashi and Adam are the same way for you, Keith. That's why this world can't lose them yet... There might still be time... So please, don't stop me, no matter what may occur." 

Lance stared at Allura in worry. "You're not going to hurt yourself, are you?"

"I said it before, Lance. Please trust me. Both of you, please sit, and be quiet. And remember... Don't stop me no matter what." 

Neither Lance nor Keith responded, knowing that they couldn't stop her- even if they had wanted to. They remained seated at a decent distance from the girl, at the feet of the corpses where they had clear sights on everybody incase something went dreadfully wrong.

Allura took a slow, inward breath and fluttered her eyes closed, raising her right hand upwards slowly as she began to hum to herself. The song that she sang had a pretty tune, but the lyrics were indistinguishable and almost certainly belonging to another language. Slowly, her eyes opened, and her hand began to lower, gently landing on the forehead of Adam, and then Coran's, and then Takashi's. She gently brushed her hand along each face in the same pattern, again and again.

Above, the rain suddenly ceased in it's never-ended downpour, and inklings of light shone through the clouds. Beneath the rubble, Cosmos flowers broke through the surface and quickly bloomed as if they were in a fast-forwarded motion. Allura's brown eyes began to glow bright blue, and slowly but surely, strands of her raven-black hair were turning white. Moreover, Adam's skin was regaining it's usually dark complexion, the deadly wound on Coran's head was healing over, and Takashi's pupils were shifting around, but there was not any significant movement from the three.

Lance and Keith could hardly believe the sights around them, despite all that they had seen over the past few days. It was as if Allura was single-handedly returning life to the earth, as well as the three men before her.

But not everything was as clear-cut as it appeared to be. Inwardly, Allura was fighting a battle of her own. In exchange for the three life's she was reviving, she needed to make three equal exchanges. In other words, great sacrifices from herself.

The first thing Allura had to be prepared to sacrifice was her vision- no longer would she be able to see a single thing before her, but it was a sacrifice that she was willing to make.

"I'll sacrifice my vision, in exchange for the life of Adam." Allura whispered.

The next sacrifice was a more difficult one- she needed to give up her spiritual abilities, effective immediately after the revivals. Although it wasn't easy for her, she was still willing to give away her powers for the greater good.

Again, she whispered, "I'll sacrifice my spiritual abilities, in exchange for the life of Takashi."

Lastly, her final great sacrifice, was the most difficult of all for her. Allura had to give up the spirit of her father, who had remained lingering in the Fala mansion for the past ten years. If not for the ability to see his spirit at home, Allura was certain that she would not have recovered from the Zarkon Murder's as gracefully as she had.

Despite losing her father, she had never truly lost him. Until now. 

It was a bittersweet moment, but she knew that in many ways, it was for the best. She had been blessed to have been able to see and speak with her father over the years, and she would forever be grateful, but letting go was necessary. Now, her fathers soul could be put to rest, and another life would not wrongfully be cut short. Tears fluttered down Allura's cheeks, yet she was smiling.

_Father, thank you... Thank you for everything that you've given me. I'll never forget you, for as long as I live. One day, we will meet again. Until then.. I love you. Please, rest peacefully. For now this is farewell..._

Allura closed her eyes, her trickling tears falling to her thighs and disappearing in the darkness of her bodysuit.

"I'll sacrifice my father's position on earth, in exchange for the life of Coran."

Once again, the wind began to blow, only now it was delicate and chilled, like a pleasant autumn breeze. The grey clouds dispersed in place of white ones, and the rain had finally come to a complete stop.

A few moments had passed in silence, and it had seemed as if the world was at a stand-still, anxiously awaiting the results of Allura's performance. Not even so much as a flinch came from the bodies; the cosmos flowers surrounding them continuing to bloom in rapid succession.

And then, all at once, Allura's brown eyes had gone a permanent bright blue, and her vision was gone forevermore.

Slowly, Adam was the first to awaken, his eyes squinted beneath the bright rays of sun. He sat upright with a grunt, and held onto his aching head.

"What's going on?" he asked, his memories of the days events were a fogged jumble at best.

Keith and Lance stared at the man in a purely stunned state. Only moments ago, his body had been completely unresponsive, and now, he was sitting up, moving around, and acting as if he were merely waking up from a long nap. 

"Adam... You're alive," Keith stated in near disbelief.

Adam narrowed his eyes in pained confusion, but before he could say more, Keith and Lance had both jumped forward, embracing him tightly. Although Lance's form was not solid to Adam, he still raised an arm against the empty space where Lance should be, and returned the gesture. His memories were still not clear, but he was slowly beginning to piece things together.

"What happened? I can barely remember a thing..." Adam groaned, his voice strained due to the dryness of his throat.

"A lot," Keith answered, as he pulled back. "It'll take a long time to explain it all so just rest for now."

Despite his confusion, Adam wasn't about to put up an argument, at least not until he was physically feeling better.

By the time the attention had returned to Allura, they realized that the girl's hair was now pure white, without a trace of black left behind. Her spiritual powers had fully left her body, and with them, came the rising of Takashi's body.

Keith's eyes instantly began to water at the sight of his brother once again alive and breathing. He quickly leaned forward, and hugged him tightly before his eyes even had time to adjust. Takashi had returned the embrace, and pulled Adam in along with it.

"Takashi, I'm sorry," Keith said, "I'm sorry I couldn't be any help in the end."

"Shh, it's okay," Takashi said, smiling as he ruffled the boys hair, "You've done more than enough to help."

As they pulled away from the hug, Adam gently stroked Takashi's cheek, staring upon the gash that remained on his nose. "Did....Did I do that..? I can only remember a few vague things..."

Takashi shook his head, holding Adam's hand in his own, "No, it wasn't your fault," he said, "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that you're okay."

Adam smiled vaguely, and leaned forward to kiss Takashi, who quickly returned the gesture. Keith and Lance smiled to themselves, all of the pressure and anxiety from the day slowly beginning to release.

A few, quiet tears fell down Allura's cheeks, and by the time it had gathered Takashi's and Adam's attention, they stared in shock at the changed appearance of the girl. But before they could question anything, the two younger boys gestured for them to remain quiet for a moment, to which they complied.

Allura could feel as every last trace of her fathers prescence had completely left the earth, and it left a mix of emotions within her. She reached forward, unable to see where her hand was leading, as she felt the shoulder of Coran's body, that still remained lifeless in front of her.

The mood had become tense again, in fear of the worst. Had she been too late to save Coran? Was her final sacrifice in vain, as there was nothing more left to do but accept that fate had cruelly won this round?

"Coran?" Allura called out softly, her hand still on the man's shoulder, having to rely on movements felt with her hand to see if he was responsive. "Coran, please... I can't lose you as well. Please awaken..."

The girl's silent tears quickly became quiet sobs escaping from the back of her throat. She leaned down, pressing her forehead against the top of Coran's head where she continued quietly crying to herself. "Wake up, p...please, wake up...." 

The men remained in a respectful silence, though the scene was tragically heartbreaking.

And then, there was a loud sneeze.

As the sneeze occurred, Coran's body lurched forward in a sudden, rapid movement, causing him to smack forehead's with Allura on his way up. The girl quickly sat back, clutching onto her head. "Ouch..." she groaned, her sobs cut short.

"What's going on here?! Where's Allura?! Where's the Golion?!" Coran rapidly asked, staring all around at the destruction surrounding him.

"Coran?" Allura asked, causing the man to turn and face her. Though she couldn't see it, he wore a happy tearful expression at the sight of the girl. He reached forward, pulling her into a hug.

"Allura, thank goodness! You're okay, you're really okay!" The man cried happily.

Allura laughed, returning the embrace, "I could say the same thing to you!"

"You used a revival spell?" Coran asked, taking a small section of her white hair into his hand. "That was a huge risk."

"It was a risk I was willing to take," Allura explained, still smiling, "Now, where is everyone else and why aren't they joining in on this?"

Several laughs could be heard, and then, not even a moment later, Allura felt as several extra pairs of arms wrapped around the duo.

Everyone remained close together for some time, the sun beating down in glorious victory upon them. Nobody, in their distant memory, could recall the last time they had felt so safe and content.

* * *

After becoming better adjusted, everyone had discussed, in full, their experiences of the day to each other, to help one another piece together the bits and parts that others had trouble recalling. Eventually, they had all painted a clear picture together, and had all come to a better understanding of what exactly they had gone through. 

After Keith and Takashi had disappeared with the bolt of lightning, Dai Bazaal had an easier time fighting with less numbers against him. The house had begun to crumble, and took down those that remained with it. By the time Takashi had reappeared, Dai Bazaal had become so overpowered that he was able to end Takashi's life after a few moments of battle. Lance, thinking he was the last to remain, had sneakily retrieved the gun from the debris while cloaking himself, just as Keith had appeared again. And then, the two had instantly shot Dai Bazaal down, putting an end to his second murderous rampage.

Even put into the simplest of terms, nobody could believe what they had all gone through in the course of only a few hours. The early morning had already felt as if it were days ago, and the pain and fatigue left behind would follow them for months, if not years. Some destruction was beyond repair, and though it pained Takashi, Keith, and Adam, to say goodbye to their little home, they knew that the cost to repair it would greatly outweigh simply finding a new place to live.

"It won't be easy but," Takashi had said, a sad smile on his face, "It's going to be a good chance for us to start anew, and put all of this behind us."

"In the meantime, I'd like to extend an offer to you all," Allura spoke, "There is more than enough room in my home for everyone, until you have the means to get back on your feet." 

"Are you sure?" Adam asked, "We're not exactly in a position to turn down that kind of offer."

"Of course," Allura said, "If we went through all of this and you all ended up dying in the streets, that would be an awfully sad ending, wouldn't it?"

Takashi laughed, "I don't know how we could ever pay you and Coran back for everything. We are beyond indebted to you both."

Shaking her head, Allura laughed as well, "Don't say that. We're all friends now. That's what friends do for each other."

"Besides, the old mansion could always use some more workers in the meantime!" Coran piped in, a hearty laugh to follow.

"Shall we head over and allow everyone to get some proper rest?" Allura asked.

"Absolutely," Adam said.

"There's no way I could refuse that offer," Takashi replied.

"You guys go ahead," Keith said, and when everyone's curious attention turned to him, he awkwardly looked away. "I want to go somewhere else with Lance first. But I'll meet you all there."

"Huh?" Lance grunted, an eyebrow raised. 

"Are you sure?" Takashi asked, and when Keith nodded, he patted his head and said, "Don't take too long, and be careful out there."

Keith smiled and nodded once more. "I'll see you guys soon."

* * *

"So where are we going?" Lance asked impatiently, as Keith continued to lead him down street after street with no explanation.

"You'll see," Keith replied.

The streets were still messily full of branches and debris, but as few cars passed by and the occasionally person appeared tidying up their lawn, it seemed as if life in Cosmos was slowly but surely returning to normal.

When the smell of salt water appeared in the air, however, Lance was quickly cluing in to where the two were headed. As Keith led him up the muddy path of the isolated ocean-front, his theory was confirmed to be true.

Then, and only then, did Keith turn around to face the boy, his expression soft and longing.

Without so much as a clue from the other, they both leaned in at the same time, meeting at the lips for a long, overdue kiss. They remained that way for some time before pulling apart and smiling fondly at each other.

"Do you know why I brought you here?" Keith asked.

"I think you're gonna tell me," Lance joked in return.

"Ever since you brought me here, I've thought of the ocean to calm myself down. But when you're around, I just have to look at you and I feel that way all the time."

Lance's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't stop a large grin from expanding on his face. "You know, Keith, sometimes... just sometimes, you're so impossibly cute."

"Oh yeah? Just sometimes?" Keith raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe a little more than sometimes."

Keith laughed. "But that's not the only reason I wanted to come here." he said, this time his expression growing more serious.

"Yeah? So for what other reason?" Lance asked.

"I think I know why you're so different from other spirits."

"Really? Why?"

"Because you're not a spirit at all."

Lance furrowed his eyebrows at this, "Keith, babe, I remember dying pretty vividly, there's no way I'm not a spirit."

Keith shook his head, "No, I get that. You did die but you're not a spirit."

Lance reached forward, running a hand through Keith's hair. "You sure you didn't hit your head or something?"

Rolling his eyes, Keith batted Lance's hand away. "You're not _just_ a spirit. You're my guardian angel. It makes so much sense, right?"

Lance remained quiet at this.

"The reason why certain spirit rules don't apply to you, the reason you could only touch me and not other humans, and the reason why you showed up at my house of all places and couldn't leave... You're my guardian angel, Lance, meant to come to earth and protect me during Dai Bazaal's return."

Lance reached forward, and embraced Keith tightly. "Yeah... Yeah, you pretty much nailed it right there."

"Wait," Keith said, hesitantly returning the embrace, "Did you already know that?"

"Yeah, sorry, I wasn't trying to keep you in the dark," Lance said, scratching the back of his head, "Guardian angels have to sign these contracts and everything... But since you figured it out on your own, it's totally okay, I didn't break contract or anything."

Keith continued to blink in disbelief. "There's a whole system for this?"

Lance laughed, "Yeah, things continue being complicated, especially after death." 

"I see."

Stroking Keith's cheek gently, Lance felt the warmth of the boy's face against his skin. "I guess you can figure out how this ends then, huh?"

Keith looked away. "You have to leave again?"

"Yeah," Lance didn't bother to sugarcoat it.

Keith remained quiet as Lance reached forward and brought the boys head to his chest, holding him comfortably in place. He closed his eyes, and for one last time, enjoyed the closeness of his angel.

"I know I should've let you known sooner but the contract-" Lance began to say, but Keith cut him off.

"I love you, too," he had said, and after Lance had been left in stunned silence, he added, "You said that earlier, right? When Dai Bazaal was trying to use you against me. I never replied so... There you go."

Lance swallowed back, smiling once more as little tears formed in the corners of his eyes. "You're really something else, you know?"

Keith laughed, "I know."

"But, I love you," Lance said, his arms tightening around him. "This isn't the last time we'll ever see each other, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that, and if I die without ever meeting you again, then you're in for a very bitter afterlife," Keith stated, firmly poking the other boy in the chest.

"You got it," Lance teased with a nod. "I'm almost certain you'll be getting into some new deadly danger every week, anyway."

Keith smiled and leaned forward, kissing Lance once again, this time with more intensity than the last. The gesture was instantly reciprocated, and deepened without hesitation. It continued on for some time, until, eventually, Keith could begin to feel Lance's touch fading away. Eventually, they pulled apart, their gazes on each other only, staring deeply into the eyes of the other, until they no longer could.

"I'll see you around, Keith, try not to get yourself killed by an evil ghost while I'm not around." Lance said, smirking lightly.

"You too, Lance." Keith responded, reaching forward to cup the boys cheek, but he could no longer feel it.

In one final swoop, Lance had disappeared from existence, the last remaining bits of his essence taking the form of blue orbs, as they faded away, and drifted out into the open ocean.

Keith watched as the orbs completely fell out of his line of vision, far beyond the shore of the ocean and out into the open water. He smiled, feeling somewhat bittersweet about everything, but knowing that, above all else, this wouldn't be the end for him and Lance.

It couldn't be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, this isn't the end! So basically, I've already had a sequel in mind for Cosmos for awhile now- but I don't want anyone to feel like they have to read it if they don't want to! The story continues a year from the ending of this one, and will be uploaded on my profile shortly. If you're interested in seeing what else is in store of Lance and Keith, please check out The Healing Hearts! 
> 
> And if not, that's okay too! I'm just glad you stuck with me this far! Thank you so much everyone! Remember to let me know what you thought of this story!


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